Buffalo: lean meat in one small trial, and a Brucella warning for raw milk

In a double-blind crossover trial, 10 healthy men ate 12 oz (340 g) of beef a day, six days a week, for 7 weeks, and their C-reactive protein rose by 72% and interleukin-6 by 59%. The same amount of bison did not significantly change either marker. These are blood markers in a very small group of men, and the beef and bison came from different feeding systems, so read it as a hint about the meat and nothing firmer. After a single 12 oz (340 g) meal in 14 of the same men, triglycerides rose 67% with beef and 30% with bison. Weeks of either meat left weight and blood lipids unchanged. The word buffalo covers two animals, American bison and Asian water buffalo, and on paper they are close. USDA lists raw water buffalo at 99 calories, 20.4 g protein and 1.4 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), and raw free-range bison top round at 97 calories, 21.4 g protein and 1.3 g fat, single values for lean cuts. In the trial, lab analysis of meat from one supplier each found 9.5 g of fat in 12 oz (340 g) of bison steak against 21.8 g in the beef steak.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Laboratory analysis in the bison trial found 12 oz of bison steak carried 9.5 g of fat against 21.8 g in the matched beef steak, with more omega-3 and a lower atherogenicity index. — Sirloin steaks and chuck roasts from 19-month-old bison and USDA Choice cattle Evidence D source
  Fat per 340 g: bison steak 9.5 g, roast 8.8 g, beef steak 21.8 g, roast 19.0 g
• USDA lists raw water buffalo at 99 calories, 20.4 g protein and 1.4 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), and raw free-range bison top round at 97 calories, 21.4 g protein and 1.3 g fat. — Food composition, US Evidence E source
  Water buffalo raw: 99 calories, protein 20.39 g, fat 1.37 g, iron 1.61 mg, B12 1.66 microg. Bison top round raw: 97 calories, protein 21.44 g, fat 1.3 g, iron 2.61 mg, B12 1.15 microg
• USDA lists Indian buffalo milk at 6.9 g fat, 3.75 g protein and 169 mg calcium per 3.5 oz (100 g). — Food composition, US Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 97 calories, fat 6.89 g, saturated fat 4.6 g, protein 3.75 g, calcium 169 mg, B12 0.36 microg

What your body absorbs

• In a 4-week RCT in Indian lactovegetarians with low B12, two 6.8 fl oz (200 mL) servings a day of buffalo or cow milk improved B12 status as much as capsules with the same B12 dose, without normalizing it. — 67 Indian lactovegetarians (groups of 22, 23 and 22), 4 weeks (n = 67) Evidence B source
  Combined B12 index rose by about 0.2 in all groups (p = 0.6 between groups), homocysteine fell to 0.8 of baseline
• In B12-deficient young Indian vegetarians, 14 days of 20 fl oz (600 mL) buffalo milk a day (three 6.8 fl oz (200 mL) servings) raised plasma B12 from 92.5 to 122 pmol/L and lowered homocysteine from 31.9 to 24.9 micromol/L. — 51 young vegetarian postgraduate volunteers, 29 B12 deficient, 14 days (n = 51) Evidence C source
  Plasma B12 92.5 to 122 pmol/L, homocysteine 31.9 to 24.9 micromol/L (p < 0.0001)

What cooking and storage change

• Roasting water buffalo raises protein from 20.4 to 26.8 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) as water drops from 76.3 to 68.8 g, while vitamin B12 stays near 1.7 microg. — Food composition, US Evidence E source
  Raw to roasted per 3.5 oz (100 g): water 76.3 to 68.81 g, protein 20.39 to 26.83 g, B12 1.66 to 1.75 microg, thiamin 0.04 to 0.03 mg

What it does to your health

• In a double-blind crossover RCT in healthy men, 7 weeks of 12 oz of beef a day raised CRP by 72% and interleukin-6 by 59% and cut FMD per shear rate by 19%, while the same amount of bison did not. — Healthy men, 14 in the single-meal test and 10 in the 7-week phase, 340 g a day 6 days a week (n = 10) Evidence B source
  After 7 weeks of beef: CRP +72% (SD 57), IL-6 +59% (SD 76), FMD/shear rate -19% (SD 28). No significant change after bison
• In the same trial, one 12 oz beef meal raised triglycerides by 67% versus 30% after bison, and chronic intake of either meat did not change weight or blood lipids. — 14 healthy men, single 12 oz (340 g) meal of each meat (n = 14) Evidence B source
  Triglycerides +67% (SD 45) after beef versus +30% (SD 27) after bison

Safety, limits and interactions

• A global meta-analysis of unpasteurised dairy found Brucella in about 26% of buffalo milk products, the highest share of any species. — Published surveys of Brucella in unpasteurised dairy products, 1983 to 2019 Evidence C source
  Prevalence 25.91% in buffalo dairy versus 17.90% in goat dairy
• A Belgian allergy case series found one adult with isolated buffalo milk allergy, and a literature review counted 82 non-cow milk allergy cases, often severe and late in onset. — 22 patients with mammalian milk allergy at a tertiary center plus 82 published cases (n = 22) Evidence C source
  Grade 3 or 4 reactions in 66% of published cases, buffalo milk selective sensitization in 4 cases
• A meta-analysis of 55 studies found the zoonotic tongue worm Linguatula serrata in 10.6% of slaughtered buffalo, lower than in goats, camels or cattle. — 36,242 samples from food animals in 55 studies across four continents (n = 36242) Evidence C source
  Pooled prevalence in buffalo 10.6%, goats 32.6%, cattle 15.8%

The bottom line

Roasting water buffalo mainly drives out water. Protein goes from 20.4 to 26.8 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) and vitamin B12 stays near 1.7 micrograms, comparing separate raw and roasted samples rather than a measured retention. Buffalo milk is richer than cow milk. USDA lists Indian buffalo milk at 6.9 g fat, 4.6 g of it saturated, and 169 mg calcium per 3.5 oz (100 g), one value with breed and season unspecified. In a 4-week randomized trial in 67 Indian lactovegetarians with low B12, two 6.8 fl oz (200 mL) servings a day of buffalo or cow milk improved B12 status as much as capsules with the same B12 dose, and none of the three brought it back to normal. A 14-day study without a control group gave young vegetarians three 6.8 fl oz (200 mL) glasses of buffalo milk a day, and in those who were B12 deficient plasma B12 rose from 92.5 to 122 pmol/L. Our cards do not say whether the milk in these studies was raw, boiled or pasteurized. The cautions are specific. A meta-analysis of prevalence surveys, mostly from low income regions and of uneven quality, found Brucella in about 26% of unpasteurised buffalo milk products, the highest share of any species. That figure is for unpasteurised products only, so it is raw buffalo milk and cheese made from raw milk that carry this risk. Buffalo milk can itself be the allergen. A Belgian case series of 22 patients found one adult who reacted to buffalo milk alone, and in 82 published cases of non-cow milk allergy 66% of reactions were grade 3 or 4. We have no card on whether people allergic to cow milk tolerate buffalo milk, so it is not a tested substitute for them. Across 55 studies, mostly from South Asia and Iran, 10.6% of slaughtered buffalo carried the tongue worm Linguatula serrata, a figure for the animals and not for human infections, and we have no card on how people catch it. We found no study of buffalo meat or milk in pregnancy, in children or with medicines, and that includes what a Brucella infection from raw milk means for them. No study is not the same as no risk.

Sources

1. bufl-r2-03 · meat composition analysis
   Based upon the meat composition data, the total fat load ingested in the 12 ounces of beef steaks and roasts were on average 21.8 and 19.0 g of fat respectively, while there were only 9.5 and 8.8 g of fat in the bison steaks and roasts, respectively.
   Nutr Res, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
2. bufl-r2-09 · food composition data
   Game meat, buffalo, water, raw (175299): 99 kcal; protein 20.39 g; fat 1.37 g; iron 1.61 mg; vitamin B12 1.66 µg. Buffalo, free range, top round steak, raw (167649): 97 kcal; protein 21.44 g; fat 1.3 g; iron 2.61 mg; vitamin B12 1.15 µg
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2019), FDC 175299 Game meat, buffalo, water, raw and FDC 167649 Buffalo, free range, top round steak, raw (Shoshone Bannock) · checked 2026-09-29
3. bufl-r2-11 · food composition data
   Milk, indian buffalo, fluid (171280): 97 kcal; fat 6.89 g; saturated fat 4.597 g; protein 3.75 g; calcium 169 mg; vitamin B12 0.36 µg
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2019), FDC 171280 Milk, indian buffalo, fluid · checked 2026-09-29
4. bufl-r2-04 · randomized controlled trial
   Three groups (n = 22, 23, 22) received daily oral doses of cyano-B12 (2 × 0.76 µg) or milk (2 × 200 mL) from a cow or buffalo (amounting to B12 ≈ 2 × 0.76 µg). ... The combined indexes improved comparably (p = 0.6) in all groups (+0.2(-0.3/+0.9), p ≤ 0.002). In conclusion, the tested formulations similarly improved B12 status, but did not normalize it.
   Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
5. bufl-r2-05 · uncontrolled intervention trial
   All participants consumed 600 ml. of non-enriched buffalo milk (200 × 3) during the day along with their usual diet. ... Plasma vitamin B-12 increased from 92.5 to 122 pmol/L and tHcy concentrations decreased from 31.9 to 24.9 μ mol/L (p < 0.0001 for both) 14 days after regular milk intake in vitamin B-12 deficient subjects.
   Nutr J, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
6. bufl-r2-10 · food composition data
   Game meat, buffalo, water, raw (175299): water 76.3 g; protein 20.39 g; vitamin B12 1.66 µg; thiamin 0.04 mg. Game meat, buffalo, water, cooked, roasted (175300): water 68.81 g; protein 26.83 g; vitamin B12 1.75 µg; thiamin 0.03 mg
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2019), FDC 175299 and FDC 175300 Game meat, buffalo, water, cooked, roasted · checked 2026-09-29
7. bufl-r2-01 · randomized crossover trial
   Protein carbonyl (24% ± 45%), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (78% ± 126%), interleukin-6 (59% ± 76%) and C-reactive protein (72% ± 57%) were significantly elevated and FMD/shear rate was significantly reduced (19% ± 28%) following 7 weeks of beef consumption, but not bison consumption.
   Nutr Res, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
8. bufl-r2-02 · randomized crossover trial
   Following a single beef meal, triglycerides and oxidized low-density lipoprotein were elevated (67% ± 45% and 18% ± 17% respectively) ... Following a single meal of bison: there was a smaller increase in triglycerides (30% ± 27%), and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress and FMD/shear rate were unchanged. Chronic consumption of either meat did not influence body weight, % body fat, or blood lipids.
   Nutr Res, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
9. bufl-r2-06 · meta-analysis of prevalence
   Also, the highest prevalence of Brucella contamination in dairy products was noted in buffalo (25.91%) and goat (17.90%), respectively.
   Food Res Int, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
10. bufl-r2-07 · case series
    In our case series of 22 patients with mammalian milk allergy and 10 healthy control subjects, 3 patients were identified with isolated adult-onset non-cow mammalian milk allergy (n = 1 buffalo milk; n = 2 mare milk), confirmed via immunoblotting and basophil activation testing.
    Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
11. bufl-r2-08 · meta-analysis of prevalence
    The prevalence in food animals varied across species, with goats having the highest prevalence at 32.6 %, followed by camels (19.3 %), cattle (15.8 %), sheep (13.6 %), and buffalo (10.6 %).
    Vet Parasitol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29