HHS HealthBeat (December 18, 2009)

How much meat?

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Jeff Levine with HHS HealthBeat.

A big chunk of steak may taste good. But a small chunk may do as much good.

Douglas Paddon-Jones of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston saw that when he had 17 young people and 17 old people eat 4- or 12-ounce portions of lean beef and then took blood and muscle samples.

For young and old alike, 4 ounces of protein in food was all they needed to build protein in muscle. Paddon-Jones says the rest could be turned into glucose – or ultimately fat.

So he says:

[Douglas Paddon-Jones speaks] "In simplest terms, my recommendation is to eat a moderate amount of protein, three times a day. Choose a variety of protein-rich foods that you enjoy – eggs, dairy, fish, nuts, meat."

The study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Jeff Levine.

Last revised: May 7, 2011