In a 2025 study from McMaster University, researchers analyzed nearly 16,000 adults from NHANES III to check if animal protein raises death risk from heart disease, cancer, or any cause. They found no link to higher mortality—animal protein even cut cancer death risk by a modest but significant amount. Plant protein showed no strong effects, but inflammatory diets with processed meats worsened outcomes.

In a 2019 study from Michigan State University, researchers surveyed grass-finished beef from 12 US farms, analyzing fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Farms used all-grass diets, leading to an average omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 4.1, far better than typical grain-fed beef's 20:1 or higher.

In 2025, Baohua Zheng and team from Chinese hospitals analyzed NHANES data from 2005–2010 on 10,721 adults. They calculated creatine intake from meat sources over two days and checked links to gut issues like chronic constipation and diarrhea using stats that adjusted for age, sex, BMI, and health factors.