Genetically Modified Meat: Good for the Heart?

"Beef! It's what's for dinner!" Do you recall Robert Mitchum's sonorous voice, making meat sound like the sexiest thing to eat? When that ad campaign launched back in the late 1980s, I remember thinking how amazing and risky it was. Meat consumption had plummeted after research linking diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol to heart disease. But it worked. From a low point of 43 pounds per capita per year in 1975, today Americans are chowin' down on steaks galore.

The beef campaign was closely followed by one touting the nutritional value of pork. Piggy-backing on the low-fat craze of the '80s, the ad campaign for pork, The Other White Meat, touted the new lean look of pork. Instead of tasteless, ubiquitous chicken, pork seemed poised to replace beef and boring poultry.

Where's The Beef?

Fast forward to the present, and American's BMIs are soaring. Obesity and overweight are at an all-time high, and although McDonald's is no longer supersizing burgers, meat consumption has reached record numbers. According to the American Meat Institute, Americans eat more than the world average, and in 2003 consumed almost 219 pounds of meat and poultry per person. Beef consumption is king. Americans eat about 64 pounds per capita yearly. Although research supports fatty fish's health benefits, fish only accounts for 6.8 pounds per capita. Poultry stays strong, 42.7 pounds yearly, but pork beats it, about 52 pounds of pork yearly.

Compare American's appetite for meat to the world. According to the online journal Science News, in industrial nations the average person eats some 80 kilograms (176 pounds) of meat in total (including chicken, fish and pork) per year -- or 2.8 times that in the developing world. Most people eat pork, which accounts for 38 percent of world meat production, followed by poultry at 30 percent and beef at 25 percent.

Fitting Pork In

Pork, traditionally a fatty meat, is now fairly lean, because of breeding practices that created a different breed of meat. According to The Daily Pork website, today's American pork has 31-percent less fat than 20 years ago, and some cuts are as lean as skinless chicken.

But the latest news reads like science fiction. In the past few years scientists have succeeded in cloning sheep, dogs, cats... rumor had it that Korean scientists had cloned humans (later discounted). News about pork is chilling, downright Brave New World-ish. Scientists have "created" pigs that produce omega-3 fatty acids, widely touted as good for the heart.

Dr. Jing X. Kang, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and researcher, says, "When you consume (the pork), you'll be able to get an omega-3 benefit similar to when you eat fish." He also says that he hopes to boost omega-3 levels in other animal food products, too. To stimulate production of omega-3 fatty acids in pigs, the researchers transferred a key gene into immature fetal cells that give rise to certain tissues in the fully developed animal. Omega-3s are linked to lower rates of heart disease, cancer, depression and may also lower risk for Alzheimer's disease. But they are not a cure for any disease or for obesity. Many studies, often supported and financed by the food's manufacturer or association, pinpoint the nutritional benefits of the individual food. Does that mean eating that specific food is a cure for what ails ya? Nah.

Food is like an orchestra. A supurb violinist plays music to your ears, but the tune pales in comparison to a symphony orchestra. The single notes are only one part of a much larger experience. For example, dark chocolate contains flavonoids, antioxidants that are good for your heart, but contains only a few components of the full spectrum needed for a healthy diet.

You wouldn't think of just eating chocolate, nor would you just eat pork, or fruit, or even salmon and consider it a balanced diet. Genetically modified foods are not the answer to a healthy diet or obesity. Scientists transfer genes between animals and plants to reduce or eliminate the need for pesticides or to make the crop more productive and lower costs. The scientists who are genetically modifying animals to provide substances such as omega-3s have not yet tested long-term effects on consumers or the environment. Critics caution that the impact on the environment and human health is yet unknown.

Heart Healthy Pork

What we do know about pork is that it can easily fit into a healthy diet. Lean cuts of pork like pork loin or round are a good source of protein as well vitamins and minerals including B-12 and B-6, niacin, thiamine, and zinc. A 3-ounce serving of pork tenderloin has about 140 calories. Broil, grill or bake; let the fat drip away from the meat; trim all visible fat, and serve with natural apple sauce or stir fry with vegetables and serve with brown rice.

Controlling your weight with a healthy diet including foods rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants from fatty fish, lean meat, fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, low-fat or nonfat dairy, a glass of wine if you wish and, yes, even chocolate (the dark kind). Add daily activity and you're on the straight path to good health.

Omega-3s and Health

Much research has suggested that omega-3 fats can cut the risk of heart disease, and although the link has been challenged in a new paper, other research continues to support omega-3s for heart health and enhanced immunity. Get your omega-3s the natural way... from food. Eating a variety of foods daily gives you the best chance to get all the minute phytonutrients that promote immunity and keep you healthy.

Good Sources of Omega-3s

# Fish: Atlantic salmon, halibut, tuna, sardines, herring, mackerel.

# Wild game: very rich in omega-3s: venison, buffalo Plant sources: flaxseed and flaxseed oil; walnuts; leafy green veggies.