The science of essential nutrients

These benchmark studies have established that grass-fed lamb contains Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are vital to wellbeing and often lacking in the modern diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids are important for development and growth and essential to brain and vision development during the final three months of pregnancy.
Grass-fed beef retains its fresh red colour for longer during retail display than grain-fed beef. The colour difference is linked to higher levels of the antioxidant vitamin E in the muscle of grazed animals. Another clear result was that grazed cattle had higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids than those cattle fed on grains.
These include alpha-linolenic acid, which is present in grass and becomes converted to the longer-chain omega-3 fatty acids once inside the animal. Among these fatty acids were the types found in oily fish.
Researchers acknowledge that the levels of omega-3 in beef are much lower than in fish but believe they are still significant nutritionally and that their presence counters the commonly held view that red meat is unhealthy. Research indicates that omega-3 fatty acids, a form of polyunsaturated fats, reduce inflammation and help prevent certain chronic diseases such as heart disease and arthritis.

This study,completed by Researchers in the Division of Farm Animal Science at the Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, in collaboration with colleagues at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research at Aberstwyth, at Bristol University and the University of Reading, examined the composition and quality of beef and lamb produced by animals fed on different diets.