Lean beef is a nutrient-dense food, because it is a major source of several essential nutrients, in a highly bioavailable package and with a low caloric value. Beef provides significant amounts of high quality protein, essential fatty acids, certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenate, folacin, vitamin B6 and B12) and mineral, such as iron, zinc and phosphorus. All of beef’s nutrients are important to the diet, specially iron. The form of iron found in beef (heme) is readily absorbed by the bodym while the iron found in vegetables, cereals, fruits and eggs is not absorbed so efficiently. Despite these evidences, biased reports based on sensationalism and misinformation have been made public, confusing the consumer and generating insecurity. On the other hand, it has been demonstrated that restriction in meat consumption has more deleterious effects to human health than moderate consumption of this or any other food. It is also well documented that excessive amount of fat, either of animal or plant origin, increases considerably the risk of cardiovascular diseases. But fat is essential to human health when its ingestion is concientious and moderate. Besides adding flavor to the food, fat is also involved in the transport and absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K by the organism. The objective of this review is to inform about the importance of beef in the human diet, as well as to compare levels of cholesterol, total and saturated fat, to that of other meats. Diet is not the only factor responsible for the development of chronic degenerative diseases, thus other relevant factors are also discussed in this work.

Key words: beef, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol.