Is Lamb Good For You?

Is lamb good for you? Lamb is a red meat, and it is richer in iron than chicken or fish. The nutrition facts of a 3.5 ounce of lamb are the following:

• Calories: 258
• Water: 57%
• Protein: 25.6 grams
• Carbs: 0 grams
• Sugar: 0 grams
• Fiber: 0 grams
• Fat: 16.5 grams

Lamb contains a high source of protein and provides all of the nine essential amino acids such as histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, valine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, etc. The best sources of essential amino acids are animal proteins such as meats, eggs, and chicken.

Is lamb good for you? Photo credit: iStock-Vladimir Mironov

The fat content in ground lamb is around 17 to 21% and it is composed of saturated and monounsaturated fats. A 3.5 ounce of roasted lamb contains 6.9 grams of saturated fat, 7 grams of monounsaturated fat and 1.2 grams of polyunsaturated fat.

From a health perspective you always want to limit your saturated fat intake and it is considered high risk for heart disease. 

Some of the other vitamins and minerals and nutritional benefits lamb contains is the following:

• Vitamin B12- This is important for brain function and blood formation.
• Selenium- Any type of meat will always be high in selenium.
• Zinc- This is an essential mineral for the growth and the formation of hormones.
• Niacin- Being able to get enough of this will lower the risk of heart disease.
• Phosphorus- This mineral is important for your body growth and maintenance.
• Iron

Other vitamins and minerals it contains is:

• Creatine- Creatine is found in most meats and it is a popular energy source for building lean muscle hence why it is created as a dietary supplement.
• Taurine- It is an antioxidant amino acid that is found in fish and meat, but it also formed in the body.
• Glutathione- It is an antioxidant that is found in high amounts of meat.
• Conjugated linoleic Acid- This is found in most lamb and  different types of meats.

Even though high saturated fat is a big deal in high consumption when it comes to maintaining a healthy heart; some studies have shown that consuming saturated fat in meats is not linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Lean lamb has shown similar effects to fish and chicken when it comes to your blood lipid profiles. From a health and wellness perspective if you eat lamb within moderation, you should be ok as long as you don’t overconsume it since it is a red meat.

“Lamb is a red meat, and it is richer in iron than chicken or fish and it contains a high amount of protein.” Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike

The Bottom Line is lamb, is a red meat that contains a high amount of protein and contains a lot of important vitamins and minerals that your body needs. And that is iron, zinc, vitamin B-12, etc.

If you have any interest in trying any of our Ethical Supplement  products to help you heighten your immune system or assist you with your fitness, weight loss or health goals. You can get a discount below at this link.

https://offer.ethicalinc.com/suppressant-offer/ ?utm_source=blog 

References

1. Mateo-Gallego R, Perez-Calahorra S, Cenarro A, Bea AM, Andres E, Horno J, Ros E, Civeira F. Effect of lean red meat from lamb v. lean white meat from chicken on the serum lipid profile: a randomised, cross-over study in women. Br J Nutr. 2012 May;107(10):1403-7. doi: 10.1017/S0007114511004545. Epub 2011 Sep 9. PMID: 21902857.
2. Hunter JE, Zhang J, Kris-Etherton PM. Cardiovascular disease risk of dietary stearic acid compared with trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jan;91(1):46-63. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27661. Epub 2009 Nov 25. PMID: 19939984.
3. Micha R, Mozaffarian D. Saturated fat and cardiometabolic risk factors, coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes: a fresh look at the evidence. Lipids. 2010 Oct;45(10):893-905. doi: 10.1007/s11745-010-3393-4. Epub 2010 Mar 31. PMID: 20354806; PMCID: PMC2950931.
4. Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar;91(3):535-46. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27725. Epub 2010 Jan 13. PMID: 20071648; PMCID: PMC2824152.
5. Paddon-Jones D, Short KR, Campbell WW, Volpi E, Wolfe RR. Role of dietary protein in the sarcopenia of aging. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1562S-1566S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/87.5.1562S. PMID: 18469288.
6. Benjamin S, Spener F. Conjugated linoleic acids as functional food: an insight into their health benefits. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2009 Sep 18;6:36. doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-6-36. PMID: 19761624; PMCID: PMC2754987.
7. Koba K, Yanagita T. Health benefits of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Obes Res Clin Pract. 2014 Nov-Dec;8(6):e525-32. doi: 10.1016/j.orcp.2013.10.001. Epub 2013 Nov 5. PMID: 25434907.
8. Spriet LL, Whitfield J. Taurine and skeletal muscle function. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2015 Jan;18(1):96-101. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000135. PMID: 25415270.
9. Lerdweeraphon W, Wyss JM, Boonmars T, Roysommuti S. Perinatal taurine exposure affects adult oxidative stress. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2013 Jul 15;305(2):R95-7. doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00142.2013. Epub 2013 Apr 24. PMID: 23616107.
10. Wójcik OP, Koenig KL, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Pearte C, Costa M, Chen Y. Serum taurine and risk of coronary heart disease: a prospective, nested case-control study. Eur J Nutr. 2013 Feb;52(1):169-78. doi: 10.1007/s00394-011-0300-6. Epub 2012 Feb 10. PMID: 22322924; PMCID: PMC3920833.
11. Candow DG, Chilibeck PD, Forbes SC. Creatine supplementation and aging musculoskeletal health. Endocrine. 2014 Apr;45(3):354-61. doi: 10.1007/s12020-013-0070-4. Epub 2013 Nov 5. PMID: 24190049.
12. Gualano B, Roschel H, Lancha AH Jr, Brightbill CE, Rawson ES. In sickness and in health: the widespread application of creatine supplementation. Amino Acids. 2012 Aug;43(2):519-29. doi: 10.1007/s00726-011-1132-7. Epub 2011 Nov 19. PMID: 22101980.
13. Lavigne PM, Karas RH. The current state of niacin in cardiovascular disease prevention: a systematic review and meta-regression. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013 Jan 29;61(4):440-446. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2012.10.030. Epub 2012 Dec 19. PMID: 23265337.
14. Rayman MP. Selenium and human health. Lancet. 2012 Mar 31;379(9822):1256-68. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61452-9. Epub 2012 Feb 29. PMID: 22381456.
15. Hunter JE, Zhang J, Kris-Etherton PM. Cardiovascular disease risk of dietary stearic acid compared with trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jan;91(1):46-63. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27661. Epub 2009 Nov 25. PMID: 19939984.
16. Micha R, Mozaffarian D. Saturated fat and cardiometabolic risk factors, coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes: a fresh look at the evidence. Lipids. 2010 Oct;45(10):893-905. doi: 10.1007/s11745-010-3393-4. Epub 2010 Mar 31. PMID: 20354806; PMCID: PMC2950931.
17. Siri-Tarino PW, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 Mar;91(3):535-46. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27725. Epub 2010 Jan 13. PMID: 20071648; PMCID: PMC2824152.
18. Hooper L, Martin N, Abdelhamid A, Davey Smith G. Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Jun 10;(6):CD011737. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011737. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 May 19;5:CD011737. PMID: 26068959.
19. de Souza RJ, Mente A, Maroleanu A, Cozma AI, Ha V, Kishibe T, Uleryk E, Budylowski P, Schünemann H, Beyene J, Anand SS. Intake of saturated and trans unsaturated fatty acids and risk of all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. BMJ. 2015 Aug 11;351:h3978. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h3978. PMID: 26268692; PMCID: PMC4532752.