(P22-017-25) The Inclusion of Red Meat in Higher-Quality Diets Supports Nutritional Adequacy, Microbial Diversity, and Mental Health With No Observed Adverse Effects

Objectives: Nutritionally balanced diets that are abundant in essential nutrients are consistently linked to better mental health. Red meat is a nutrient-dense source of protein, iron, zinc, and vit-B12; however, its associations with cardiovascular disease and cancer have contributed to negative public perceptions. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether red meat could be integrated into a high healthy-eating-index(HEI, >80 scores) diet to improve nutrient adequacy without impacting diet quality, mental health, or microbiota composition.

Methods: This secondary analysis utilized data from the American Gut Project. Microbiota sequences were extracted and analyzed with QIIME2 on the high-performance computational cluster at South Dakota State University for taxonomic classification, diversity analysis, and microbiota community comparisons. A total of 4,915 adults were then stratified into four groups based on HEI scores and red meat consumption: high-HEI with red meat (HH-R), high-HEI without red meat (HH-NR), low-HEI with red meat (LH-R), and low-HEI without red meat (LH-NR).

Results: Participants consuming high-HEI diets maintained healthy BMI values, regardless of red meat intake. Protein intake was significantly higher among individuals consuming red meat (77.58±26.84g in HH-R and 80.74±35.8g in LH-R) compared to individuals not consuming red meat (67.35±26.85g in HH-NR and 62.99±29.56g in LH-NR, p< 0.001), while carbohydrate intake was lower in red meat groups. Total fat and saturated fat intake in the HH-R was within recommended limits. The inclusion of red meat also improved micronutrient adequacy, with the red meat group showing higher selenium, vit-B12, zinc, calcium, vit-D3, and choline. Higher HEI scores, irrespective of red meat consumption showed lower odds of depression (log odds= -2.22), PTSD (log odds= -3.80), and bipolar disorder (log odds= -5.903). With gut microbiota, OTU richness and Shannon diversity, were highest in the HH-R and lowest in the LH-NR. B. caccae (FDR= 0.003) and C. hathewayi (FDR < 0.001) was higher in HH-R, while B. adolescentis and B. eggerthii was higher in HH-NR (FDR < 0.001).

Conclusions: The inclusion of red meat in a high-HEI diet is associated with improved nutrient adequacy, mental health, and gut microbial diversity, with no observed adverse effects.

Funding Sources: National Cattlemen's Beef Association