The Role of Beef for the Lowest Cost and Adequate Provision of Bioavailable Nutrients in Modeled Diets at a Population Level in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The assumptions that animal-sourced food production is environmentally unsustainable and animal-sourced foods can be seamlessly replaced as a nutrient source by plant-based foods, seldom consider the higher quantity and greater bioavailability of essential nutrients that are naturally present in animal-sourced foods.

Objectives

With beef being a natural food source rich in higher quality protein and bioavailable vitamins, iron, and zinc, the inclusion levels of beef in dietary patterns that meet nutrient requirements at the lowest cost were determined.

Methods

Dietary optimization models using linear programming (LP) were developed to formulate cost-minimized nutrient adequate diets at a population level in the United States. The LP diet models used food co

SUBMITTER: Chungchunlam SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12765099 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature