The fatty acid contained in Costa Rican beef could be your ally to protect you against cancer and heart disease. This was announced by a study made by the Center for Animal Nutrition Research (CINA) of the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
According to that research, beef produced in Costa Rica contains a significant amount of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) or rumenic acid, a substance that can boost immunity and protect against cancer.
Rumenic acid is a fatty acid that is generated naturally and efficiently in the rumen (largest stomach) of cattle and other animals such as lamb and beef. This occurs thanks to the action of the bacteria in the rumen, according to the study.
Various international investigations have shown that this molecule has an important potential as an anticancer in humans and as an antiatherosclerotic, that is, it prevents the deposition of fat in the arteries. It is present in meat and cow’s milk, and it is also recognized that normal industrial and cooking processes do not alter its level.
To determine the content of this component in national beef, CINA’s research engineers, Augusto Rojas and Carlos Campos, performed a profile of all the fatty acids contained in beef cattle produced in the country’s main cattle ranches: zone North (San Carlos) Guanacaste, Guápiles and the South zone (Pérez Zeledón).
They also collected information on the diets that farmers use to feed animals, a factor that may be key to explaining the higher or lower concentrations of LAC in meat.
The concentrations found show that meats from Costa Rica make contributions from 1.25 milligrams per day to 103 milligrams per day of that fatty acid. The results indicate that the consumption of beef can supply from 2% to 100% of the daily recommendation.