The Nation - News from May 12, 1988

A major form of saturated fat in beef appears to lower cholesterol rather than raise it, so meat may not be as bad for the heart as many experts had believed, new research concluded. Dr. Scott M. Grundy said his work suggests that people should be able to eat moderate amounts of lean beef without worry, although he believes they should stick with widely endorsed guidelines for cutting fat consumption. The research, by Grundy and Dr. Andrea Bonanome at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was questioned by experts who said that the study, based on liquid diets given to 11 men, may be too small to be the basis for saying how people should eat and may not apply to women, who were not in the study.