Beef tallow in the US: why doctors and dietitians are concerned about its return
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is trying to popularize the use of beef tallow and animal fats to fry foods in, but health experts say the move could increase the risk of heart disease for Americans.
A group representing thousands of doctors and dietitians is warning against government attempts to increase the use of beef tallow within the food industry.
While animal fats like beef tallow were commonly used in restaurants and fast food chains to fry foods in decades ago, they were eventually phased out due to rising concern over the health risks of saturated fat.
However, the US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has taken to endorsing the use of beef tallow, and has championed restaurants who are deciding to switch to animal fat.
In an interview on Fox News earlier this month, the federal health official applauded the Steak ‘n Shake burger chain’s new decision to cook its fries in beef tallow.
“President Trump wants us to have radical transparency and incentivize companies like this one to switch traditional ingredients for beef tallow,” Kennedy said.
His efforts on the issue have even extended to selling merchandise on his campaign website emblazoned with the slogan “Make Frying Oil Tallow Again.”
But the claims have confused and alarmed many health experts, who say that scientific research shows that cooking foods in animal fats could be detrimental to the health of Americans.
“Scientific studies show that beef tallow poses concerns for heart health. Beef fat is approximately 50% saturated fat, which raises cholesterol levels,” says Dr. Anna Herby, a nutrition education specialist with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which has more than 17,000 doctor members.
“While the beef industry has suggested that the stearic acid in beef should limit its cholesterol-raising effect, testing shows that beef tallow has cholesterol-raising effects similar to that of other meats,” added Herby.
The PCRM is among those warning against any promotion of beef tallow, as research shows that eating foods high in saturated fat - like beef tallow and other animal products - raises LDL “bad” cholesterol levels, which increases heart disease risk.
Studies suggest instead that replacing saturated fat with plant sources of fat can be beneficial against heart diseases. In a review of scientific studies that looked at data from over 310,000 participants, researchers found that replacing 5% of calories from saturated fat from animal sources with linoleic acid - found in vegetable oil, nuts, and seeds - was associated with a 9% lower risk of heart disease and a 13% lower risk of death from heart disease.
Just this month, a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that substituting butter - an animal product high in saturated fat - with plant-based oils, particularly olive, soybean, and canola oils, may help prevent premature death from heart diseases and cancer.
“These results support current dietary recommendations to replace animal fats like butter with nonhydrogenated vegetable oils that are high in unsaturated fats, especially olive, soy, and canola oil”, said the study’s authors.
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