The Study
Soil and pasture health underlie improved beef nutrient density determined by untargeted metabolomics in Southern US grass finished beef systems
This study looked at beef from cows that ate grass versus cows that ate grain, and found the grass-fed beef had more healthy-looking chemicals in it. But it didn’t test if eating that beef actually makes people healthier—it just shows a difference in the meat. So we can say 'grass-fed beef has more of these chemicals,' but not 'these chemicals make you healthier.'
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Cows that eat grass and roam on pasture make meat with more healthy plant chemicals and vitamins than cows that eat corn in feedlots.
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 515 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1These differences mean grass-fed beef may offer more anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy nutrients, and the farming system improves soil health.
- 2Grass-fed beef has 3.1x more plant antioxidants, 3.4x more EPA, 1.8x more DHA, 5.4x more ALA, 4.2x more vitamin E, and 2.9x more vitamin A than grain-fed beef.
- 3Pasture soil has 1.4x more organic matter and 1.7-3x more minerals.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
NPJ Science of Food
Year
2025
Authors
M. Ahsin, M. H. Poore, John Rogers, A. Franzluebbers, S. Young, S. Kronberg, F. Provenza, James R. Bain, S. van Vliet
Related Content
Claims (5)
Beef from cattle raised on pasture has 3.4 times more EPA, 1.8 times more DHA, and 5.4 times more ALA than beef from cattle fed grain.
Grass-finished beef has 2.5 times more homocysteine and 2.3 times more 4-hydroxynonenal glutathione than grain-finished beef, which are chemical markers of oxidative stress.
Beef from cows raised on pasture has 3.1 times more plant-derived antioxidant compounds than beef from cows fed grain, because the pasture plants themselves contain 118.2 times more of these compounds.
Grass-finished beef has 4.2 times more vitamin E and 2.9 times more vitamin A than grain-finished beef, because the grasses that cattle eat contain higher levels of these vitamins.
Soils under pasture grazing have 40% more organic matter and 1.7 to 3 times more potassium, phosphorus, and calcium than soils in cornfields grown to feed cattle.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.