{"id":176629,"date":"2025-06-11T21:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T21:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/176629\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T21:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T21:00:11","slug":"is-beef-tallow-actually-any-good-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/176629\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Beef Tallow Actually Any Good for You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf you have oily skin, which men tend to have, using comedogenic products is asking for a breakout<\/a>,\u201d Dr. Hartman says. \u201cWhen products get stuck in pores and mix with oil, acne is almost guaranteed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those with sensitive skin should also exercise caution, adds Dr. Green, as irritation, inflammation, and allergic reactions are all possible. All things considered, safer, more vetted alternatives exist to cover what beef tallow might potentially offer. Per Dr. Green, these include hyaluronic acid<\/a> and glycerin\u2014humectants that attract and boost hydration\u2014as well as ceramides<\/a> to lock in moisture and support the skin barrier.<\/p>\n

Why are people trading beef tallow for seed oils?<\/p>\n

Fans of beef tallow say it is rich in healthy fats and fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2, which \u201csupport everything from thyroid health to estrogen metabolism and even liver detox,\u201d says Gowri Rocco, MD<\/a>, a double board-certified physician in Corona, California.<\/p>\n

However, she says there\u2019s no clinical research to date attributing hormonal health benefits to tallow specifically.<\/p>\n

Risks of dietary beef tallow<\/p>\n

Beef tallow is high in saturated fat content\u2014typically around 50%\u2014which risks increasing LDL cholesterol, according to Kaustubh Dabhadkar, MD<\/a>, a cardiologist specializing in preventive cardiology in Charlotte, North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\u201cLDL cholesterol is responsible for plaque buildup in arteries, especially arteries that supply blood to the heart,\u201d Dr. Dabhadkar<\/a> says. \u201cFor this reason, beef tallow and saturated fats should generally be avoided as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Individuals with diabetes, elevated cholesterol levels, and\/or a personal or family history of cardiovascular disease should be extra cautious. If you absolutely must indulge in fried food on occasion, Dr. Dabhadkar still deems seed oils\u2014which primarily contain unsaturated fats\u2014as a better option. (FWIW, a recent study<\/a> found that higher intake of plant-based oils\u2014including olive oil but also canola and soybean oil\u2014was associated with lower cardiovascular, cancer, and total disease mortality compared to higher intake of butter, itself another high source of saturated fat.)<\/p>\n

Pasquariello agrees that any purported benefits of beef tallow\u2014hormonal or otherwise\u2014don\u2019t outweigh the risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cTallow is also by no means a healthier, \u2018cleaner,\u2019 or \u2018less toxic\u2019 alternative to seed oils, nor does it contain higher levels of any fat-soluble vitamins than you can find elsewhere,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

For example, sweet potato, spinach, and carrots are all good plant-based sources of vitamin A<\/a>. Yes, we need fats in our diet<\/a>\u2014but consuming more saturated fat is far from ideal, as most Americans consume too much of it<\/a> already. You\u2019re better off prioritizing unsaturated fats with proven health perks, including but not limited to oily fish, avocados, nuts, and seeds. And, if you\u2019re so inclined, seed oils.<\/p>\n

\u201cCulinary-wise, I have no problem if people want to cook with tallow from time to time due to flavor or application,\u201d Pasquariello says, \u201cbut claiming there are extra health benefits to doing so is not accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n

After all, whether you\u2019re eating potato chips with seed oils or beef tallow, the fact is that they\u2019re both still high in fat and sodium and won\u2019t meaningfully offer micronutrients or fiber, which many people in the US are lacking<\/a>. She suggests that the fervor over beef tallow may be informed by ulterior motives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a tactic to tug at people\u2019s emotions, to create fear, and to drive [clicks and] sales by capitalizing on a trendy moment,\u201d she warns.<\/p>\n

The bottom line<\/p>\n

Despite its recent airtime, beef tallow won\u2019t magically transform your skin or your diet. But if you want to smear some of it on your dry elbows, or use it to add some flavor to a dish, go right ahead. Just remember: It\u2019s not the miracle fat that MAHA says it is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIf you have oily skin, which men tend to have, using comedogenic products is asking for a breakout,\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176630,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4318],"tags":[1203,72927,105,4434,974,4714,16,15,4715,2488],"class_list":{"0":"post-176629","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-food","9":"tag-fringe-wellness","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-nutrition","12":"tag-skincare","13":"tag-textbelowcentergridwidth","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-web","17":"tag-wellness"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114666748196560787","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}