Ground beef: the lean label is a range, the risk is in the handling

In a randomized crossover feeding trial, 25 men with a mean BMI of 31 ate five 115 g ground beef patties a week for five weeks, and both their LDL and HDL cholesterol fell whether the patties were 24 or 5 percent fat. The abstract does not give the size of the change, and the trial included only men. Both arms ate beef, so it compared two fat levels rather than beef against no beef. The number on the pack is looser than it looks. Eight USDA samples sold as 90 percent lean averaged 12.85 g of fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw and reached 14.75 g, while samples sold as 80/20 ranged from 15.4 to 26.5 g. How you cook it changes the plate as well. Pan fried and drained, 24 percent fat patties lost nearly 41 percent of their fat, while 5 percent fat patties lost none that could be measured, in one frying method tested in the lab.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Raw 90 percent lean ground beef in USDA Foundation samples held about 4.2 mg zinc and 2.1 mg iron per 3.5 oz (100 g), and 80/20 held 3.8 mg zinc and 2.0 mg iron. — Beef, ground, 90/10 and 80/20, raw, 8 analyzed samples each (n = 8 samples each) Evidence E source
  90/10: zinc 4.19 mg (3.67 to 5.16), iron 2.13 mg (1.95 to 2.59), cholesterol 65.9 mg; 80/20: zinc 3.85 mg (3.43 to 4.26), iron 1.97 mg (1.56 to 2.61), cholesterol 67.7 mg

What a real portion looks like

• In the US dietary survey database a medium or quarter-pound burger patty weighs 3 oz (85 g) cooked, a small one 65 g and a large one 120 g. — Beef, ground, patty, FNDDS food code 21500310 Evidence E source
  Miniature 30 g, small 65 g, medium 85 g, quarter lb 85 g, large 120 g, 1 cup 125 g, 1 oz raw yields 20 g
• In NHANES 2011 to 2018, 26 percent of US adults ate ground beef on a given day, averaging 21 g a day across all adults, and total beef supplied 21 percent of their zinc. — 19,766 US adults aged 19+, NHANES 2011-2018, 24-hour recall (n = 19766) Evidence C source
  Ground beef eaten by 26.3% on recall day, mean 21.3 g/day; total beef gave 14% of protein, 20% of B12, 21% of zinc, 11% of saturated fat

What your body absorbs

• In a 28-day controlled feeding study, young women absorbed more iron as lean ground beef in the diet rose from 3 to 9 oz a day, but gained little beyond 3 oz. — young adult women, 7-day vegetarian diet then three randomly ordered 7-day periods with 3, 6 or 9 oz lean ground beef daily Evidence B source
  Higher zinc and iron balance with beef than vegetarian diet; iron bioavailability rose with beef amount; little gain beyond 3 oz/day
• In young pigs, zinc from cooked ground beef was retained at about 70 percent, as well as zinc carbonate, against about 30 percent from soy protein. — 104 weaned crossbred pigs, 4 trials, diets with 9 mg Zn/kg from ground beef, soy protein or zinc carbonate (n = 104 pigs) Evidence D source
  About 70% zinc retained from ground beef or ZnCO3 vs 30% from soybean protein
• In 16 adults aged 65 to 85, a meal with 100 g lean ground beef produced about 47 percent higher muscle protein synthesis over 6 hours than a matched vegan meal. — 16 healthy older adults (8 men, 8 women) aged 65 to 85, omnivorous meal with 100 g lean ground beef vs isonitrogenous isocaloric vegan meal (n = 16) Evidence B source
  Muscle protein synthesis 0.052 +/- 0.023 vs 0.035 +/- 0.021 %/h (P = 0.037); plasma essential amino acid iAUC 87 vs 38

What cooking and storage change

• By the USDA retention table for broiled ground beef, zinc and copper stay at 100 percent and iron at 95 percent, while vitamin B6 falls to 60 percent and B12 and thiamin to 80 percent. — Beef Products group (USDA code 13), BEEF,BROILED GROUND Evidence E source
  Zinc, copper, calcium 100%; iron, riboflavin 95%; phosphorus, niacin, choline 90%; magnesium, potassium, folate 85%; B12, thiamin 80%; B6 60% retained
• When 24 percent fat patties were pan fried and drained, they lost nearly 41 percent of their fat, while 5 percent fat patties lost none detectable. — 115 g ground beef patties with 24% or 5% fat, analyzed raw and pan fried in a feeding trial Evidence D source
  High-fat patties lost nearly 41% of fat after frying; low-fat patties no detectable loss

What it does to your health

• In a crossover feeding trial, 25 men eating five 115 g ground beef patties a week for 5 weeks saw both LDL and HDL cholesterol fall, whether the beef was 24 or 5 percent fat. — 25 men, mean age 40 and BMI 31.2, 115 g high-fat (24%) or low-fat (5%) patties 5 times a week for 5 weeks, 4-week washout (n = 25) Evidence B source
  Both treatments decreased HDL-C (p = 0.001) and LDL-C (p = 0.011) and reduced small dense LDL subfractions
• In 27 men eating five 114 g patties a week for 5 weeks, only the higher-oleic ground beef from grain-fed cattle raised HDL cholesterol, compared with pasture-fed beef. — 27 normocholesterolemic men, 24% fat patties with MUFA:SFA 1.10 (grain-fed) or 0.71 (pasture-fed), 5 per week for 5 weeks (n = 27) Evidence B source
  HDL-C increased from baseline only with high-MUFA beef (P = 0.02); both lowered insulin and HDL particle diameter

Safety, limits and interactions

• Ground beef caused 17 of the 38 beef-linked Salmonella outbreaks reported to CDC between 2002 and 2011, taking over from deli roast beef as the main beef vehicle. — Salmonella outbreaks attributed to beef reported to CDC, United States, 1973 to 2011 (n = 96 outbreaks) Evidence C source
  Ground beef implicated in 17 (45%) of 38 beef-attributed outbreaks in 2002-2011; 96 beef outbreaks, 3684 illnesses overall
• In 2,885 US retail beef samples bought in 2010, Salmonella turned up in under 1 percent of ground beef packages and Campylobacter in 7.35 percent of ground beef. — 2,885 retail raw ground and whole-muscle beef samples from 38 US cities, 2010 (n = 2885) Evidence C source
  Salmonella 0.42-0.63% of ground beef packages by packaging type; Campylobacter 7.35% of ground beef vs 17.24% of whole cuts
• A meta-analysis of 33 studies found Salmonella in 10.8 percent of cattle deep lymph nodes, tissue that ends up in ground beef trimmings, and more often in warm months. — 33 studies of Salmonella in bovine deep tissue lymph nodes (n = 33 studies) Evidence C source
  Pooled prevalence 10.8% (95% CI 7.5 to 14.5); warm vs cool season 10.7% vs 3.8%; feedlot vs cull cattle 13.5% vs 3.4%

What people believe that the data does not support

• In eight USDA Foundation samples labeled 90 percent lean, raw ground beef averaged 12.85 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g) and ranged up to 14.75 g, while 80/20 samples ranged from 15.4 to 26.5 g. — Beef, ground, 90% lean meat / 10% fat, raw and 80% lean / 20% fat, raw, 8 analyzed samples each (n = 8 samples each) Evidence E source
  90/10: fat 12.85 g (10.92 to 14.75), protein 18.2 g; 80/20: fat 19.44 g (15.37 to 26.46), protein 17.5 g per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• In a pig model of early puberty, daily patties from hormone-implanted cattle did not bring on puberty sooner, and tofu carried about 170 times more estrogen activity than that beef. — prepubertal gilts from 61 days of age fed a cooked patty from non-implanted steers, implanted steers (trenbolone plus estradiol), or tofu Evidence D source
  No difference in days to estrus (P = 0.55) or growth; tofu estradiol equivalents about 570 times natural and 170 times implanted beef
• In 30 adults eating a 950 calories high-fat meal, a reformulated plant-based patty and an 80 percent lean beef patty produced the same inflammatory and metabolic response over 4 hours. — 30 healthy adults (15 normal BMI, 15 overweight or obese), matched high-fat meals with Beyond Meat or 80% lean ground beef (n = 30) Evidence B source
  Both meals raised IL-6, TNF-alpha, LBP, sCD14 and triglycerides and lowered HDL-C (p <= 0.01); no difference between protein sources

Who this works differently for

• Among 316 children with bloody diarrhea in Georgia, 20 percent developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, and ground beef products carried a relative risk of 4.52. — 316 children under 15 with bloody diarrhea, Georgia, 2009 to 2016 (n = 316) Evidence C source
  64 (20.2%) complicated by HUS, 5 deaths; ground beef products RR 4.52 (P < 0.001)
• FSIS says the toxin made by STEC bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7 may cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in young children, and names children under 5, pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weakened immune systems as most at risk from contaminated food. — children under 5 years old, pregnant women, people aged 65 or older, people with immune systems weakened by cancer, kidney disease and other illnesses Evidence E source
  STEC toxin causes hemorrhagic colitis and may cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in young children; named groups most at risk from contaminated food

What is still unknown

• How many Salmonella cells cattle lymph nodes bring into ground beef is largely unknown: only 2 of 33 studies reported enough concentration data to pool. — 33 studies of Salmonella in bovine deep tissue lymph nodes (n = 33 studies) Evidence C source
  Concentration data substantially underreported; resistance data sparse and inconsistent

The bottom line

What the meat delivers is protein, zinc and iron. Raw 90 percent lean held about 4.2 mg zinc and 2.1 mg iron per 3.5 oz (100 g) in USDA samples. In 16 healthy adults aged 65 to 85, a meal with 3.5 oz (100 g) of lean ground beef produced about 47 percent higher muscle protein synthesis over six hours than a matched vegan meal. That is a short-term response and says nothing yet about muscle mass over months. In young women on a controlled diet, iron absorption rose as lean ground beef went from 3 to 9 oz a day, with little extra gained beyond 3 oz, in a study whose abstract does not give the number of women. By the USDA factors for broiled ground beef, zinc stays at 100 percent and iron at 95, while vitamin B6 falls to 60 percent and B12 to 80. A medium or quarter-pound patty weighs 3 oz (85 g) cooked, and an ounce of raw mince cooks down to 20 g. Two popular worries have only thin evidence either way. In a pig model of early puberty, daily patties from hormone-implanted cattle did not bring puberty on sooner, and tofu carried about 170 times the estrogen activity of that beef, an animal study that has not been repeated in children. In 30 adults eating a 950 calories high-fat meal, a plant-based patty and an 80 percent lean beef patty produced the same inflammatory and metabolic response over four hours, which points at the fat load of the meal. In 27 men eating five patties a week for five weeks, only the grain-fed beef, which was higher in oleic fat, raised HDL cholesterol, and the pasture-fed beef did not. The real caution is contamination. Ground beef caused 17 of the 38 beef-linked Salmonella outbreaks reported to the CDC between 2002 and 2011, partly because detection improved over those years. In 2,885 US retail samples bought in 2010, Salmonella turned up in under 1 percent of ground beef packages and Campylobacter in 7.35 percent, and that survey did not test for toxin-producing E. coli. A meta-analysis of 33 studies found Salmonella in 10.8 percent of cattle deep lymph nodes, tissue that can end up in ground beef trimmings, more often in warm months, and how many bacteria that adds to finished mince is largely unknown. The most serious outcomes we found were in children. Among 316 children with bloody diarrhea in Georgia, 20 percent developed hemolytic uremic syndrome and 5 died, and ground beef products carried a relative risk of 4.52 alongside locally made ice cream and dairy, from records that cannot prove which food caused which case. We have no card yet on the cooking temperature or the handling steps for ground beef, so this page cannot give them, and nothing on it should be read as saying that undercooked mince is safe, for children least of all. We found no study of ground beef with medicines or in kidney disease.

Compared with other foods

Sources

1. gbf-r5-02 · USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, dataset
   Beef, ground, 90% lean meat / 10% fat, raw: Zinc, Zn 4.194 MG range 3.67-5.16 n=8; Iron, Fe 2.128 MG range 1.95-2.59 n=8; Cholesterol 65.9 MG range 61.1-75.5 n=8. Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, raw: Zinc, Zn 3.848 MG range 3.43-4.26 n=8; Iron, Fe 1.965 MG range 1.56-2.61 n=8; Cholesterol 67.74 MG range 61.5-75.0 n=8
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, FDC 2514743 and 80/20 raw, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-29
2. gbf-r5-08 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Beef, ground, patty (FNDDS 21500310, fdc_id 2705855): 1 miniature patty 30 g; 1 small patty 65 g; 1 medium patty 85 g; 1 quarter lb patty 85 g; 1 large patty 120 g; 1 oz yields 20 g; 1 cup 125 g
   USDA FNDDS, FDC 2705855 (food code 21500310) · checked 2026-09-29
3. gbf-r5-09 · cross-sectional survey
   On the day of recall, 49.3%, 40.2%, 26.3%, and 15.3% adults consumed total beef, lean fresh beef, ground beef, and processed beef, respectively, with mean intakes of 45.6, 36.6, 21.3, and 6.23 g/day, respectively.
   Nutr Res, 2022 · checked 2026-09-29
4. gbf-r5-03 · randomized crossover trial
   As the amount of beef in the diet increased, the bioavailability of iron increased. ... Results of this study also suggest that little increase in zinc and iron utilization is realized by including more than 3 oz beef per day in the diet.
   J Am Diet Assoc, 1992 · checked 2026-09-29
5. gbf-r5-04 · animal feeding trial
   Pigs fed the diets with 9 mg Zn/kg from GB or ZnCO(3) were not different in Zn availability and retained about 70% Zn (apparent balance and (65)Zn) compared with 30% (P ≤ 0.05) for pigs fed the diet with 9 mg Zn/kg from SP.
   J Anim Sci, 2014 · checked 2026-09-29
6. gbf-r5-05 · randomized crossover trial
   Ingestion of MEAT resulted in ∼47% higher postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates when compared with the ingestion of PLANT (0.052 ± 0.023 and 0.035 ± 0.021 %/h, respectively; paired-samples t test: P = 0.037).
   J Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
7. gbf-r5-06 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:603 BEEF,BROILED GROUND, group Beef Products: vitamin_b6_mg 60% retained, thiamin_mg 80%, vitamin_b12_ug 80%, magnesium_mg 85%, folate_total_ug 85%, phosphorus_mg 90%, niacin_mg 90%, iron_mg 95%, zinc_mg 100%, copper_mg 100%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, 2007, Retn_Code 603 · checked 2026-09-29
8. gbf-r5-07 · laboratory measurement
   The LF patties did not lose a detectable amount of fat following pan frying, but the HF patties lost nearly 41% fat after frying.
   Nutrients, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
9. gbf-r5-10 · randomized crossover trial
   The HF and LF treatments decreased the plasma concentrations of HDL-C (p = 0.001) and LDL-C (p = 0.011).
   Nutrients, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
10. gbf-r5-11 · randomized crossover trial
    Only the high-MUFA ground beef intervention increased the HDL-C concentration from baseline (P = 0.02).
    J Nutr, 2011 · checked 2026-09-29
11. gbf-r5-12 · surveillance analysis
    Ground beef emerged as an important vehicle in the 2000s; it was implicated in 17 (45%) of the 38 beef-attributed outbreaks reported during 2002-2011.
    Epidemiol Infect, 2015 · checked 2026-09-29
12. gbf-r5-13 · cross-sectional survey
    The prevalence of Salmonella in ground beef packages was 0.42% for modified atmosphere packaging, 0.63% for chub packaging, and 0.59% for overwrapped packages.
    J Food Prot, 2012 · checked 2026-09-29
13. gbf-r5-14 · meta-analysis of prevalence
    The pooled Salmonella prevalence in DTLNs was 10.8% (95% CI [7.5, 14.5]), with significant heterogeneity between studies.
    Int J Food Microbiol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
14. gbf-r5-01 · USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods, dataset
    Beef, ground, 90% lean meat / 10% fat, raw: Total lipid (fat) 12.85 G range 10.92-14.75 n=8; Protein 18.15625 G range 17.75-18.6875. Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, raw: Total lipid (fat) 19.44 G range 15.37-26.46 n=8; Protein 17.53125 G range 16.6875-18.5
    USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, FDC 2514743 and 80/20 raw, release 2026-04-30 · checked 2026-09-29
15. gbf-r5-16 · animal feeding trial
    RESULTS: E2 equivalents (nanogram per kilogram, as fed as analyzed by E-Screen) of the tofu (a soy-based product) supplement were ∼570 times the natural and ∼170 times the implanted supplements.
    J Nutr, 2014 · checked 2026-09-29
16. gbf-r5-17 · randomized crossover trial
    Overall, inclusion of a reformulated PBMA within a high-fat meal resulted in a similar cardiometabolic response to a nearly identical meal containing animal protein (ClinicalTrials.gov:NCT06445296).
    Appl Physiol Nutr Metab, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
17. gbf-r5-15 · retrospective cohort
    High RR for food products consumed by children with bloody diarrhea either complicated with HUS or not were various ice-creams produced locally (RR 4.23 P<0.001), dairy products (RR 2.79 P = 0.01), ground beef products (RR 4.52 P<0.001).
    Georgian Med News, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
18. sf-stec-r3-groundbeef-1 · agency advice
    STECs produce large quantities of a potent toxin that forms in the intestine and causes severe damage to the lining of the intestine. This causes a disease called hemorrhagic colitis, and may also cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, particularly in young children. ... Children under 5 years old, pregnant women, people aged 65 or older and those with immune systems that have been weakened by cancer, kidney disease and other illnesses are most at risk and vulnerable to illnesses associated with contaminated food.
    Ground Beef and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service · checked 2026-10-08
19. gbf-r5-18 · meta-analysis of prevalence
    Concentration data were substantially underreported, with only two studies providing sufficient data for a preliminary quantitative synthesis.
    Int J Food Microbiol, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29