The Study
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
This study is like a math puzzle where scientists used a computer to figure out the cheapest way to get all the nutrients people need. It doesn't test real people or diets — it just shows what the computer thinks would work best based on the rules they gave it.
Analysis score
Maximum 0 for a computational/algorithm study.
Where the score came from
Scientists used math to find the cheapest way to eat all the right nutrients. They found that beef and other animal foods often give the best nutrients for the least money, especially when you consider how well your body can use them.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 50 / 100
Quality score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This means that even if plant foods have nutrients, your body might not absorb them well, making animal foods more effective and sometimes cheaper for good health.
- 2Beef helped meet needs for protein, B-12, and zinc at low cost.
- 3Diets considering nutrient absorption cost $1.75–$7.80/day.
- 4For women 19–50, no cheap diet could meet iron and zinc needs.
- 5Using bioavailability raised diet costs by 50–89%.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Current Developments in Nutrition
Year
2025
Authors
Sylvia M. S. Chungchunlam, Paul J. Moughan
Related Content
Claims (5)
Eating meat, especially beef, gives your body all the nutrients it needs to survive and thrive — and your body can actually use them well.
If you plan meals based on how well your body can actually absorb nutrients—like iron and zinc from meat—instead of just counting total nutrients, it ends up costing 50% to 89% more each day to meet your needs.
Beef gives you key nutrients like protein, B-12, and zinc for less money than other foods when you consider how well your body can actually use them — at least in theory, according to diet models.
When figuring out the cheapest way to eat healthy, models show that most people in the U.S. end up with foods like beef, milk, eggs, and fish in their diet — meaning animal foods often make the most sense when you want good nutrition at the lowest cost.
It might be really hard for women between 19 and 50 to get enough iron and zinc from affordable, everyday foods—even if they're trying to eat the cheapest healthy diet possible.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.