William Foster Double Beef Burger Calories

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Market analyst Dane Bowler's recent article claiming that Beyond Meat's (NASDAQ:BYND) IPO has been overvalued, centers around his erroneous claim that their products, specifically the Beyond Burger, are "worse than beef burgers" and therefore could not provide any health or performance benefits.

As the Chief of Cardiology at two medical centers in Southern California, I find the suggestion that red meat is not harmful to health -- and athletic performance for that matter -- very concerning. One of the least offensive, yet still significant, mistakes Fowler makes in his analysis is using 90/10 lean beef, instead of the standard 80/20 supermarket beef, for his comparatives. Held up against a typical American beef hamburger, the Beyond Burger has no cholesterol, less total fat, nearly half the saturated fat, fewer calories, more protein, and more than double the iron.

Nutritional Comparison of 4-oz Beyond Burger and 4-oz 80/20 Ground Beef Burger

	4-oz Beyond Burger	4-oz 80/20 Ground Beef Burger*
Protein (G)	20	19
Iron (DV)	30%	12%
Saturated fat (G)	5	9
Cholesterol (MG)	0	80
Total fat (G)	20	23
Calories	270	287
Antibiotic-free	X	??
Hormone-free	X	??
		*raw unseasoned 80/20 beef

*USDA Nutrient Database

But these basic numbers are in many ways just a distraction from the bigger picture: there is global consensus about the benefits of plant foods versus animal foods (including beef) for heart disease, cancer, and overall health.

Large-scale research from Loma Linda University, for example, concluded that men who get all of their protein from plants reduce their risk of heart disease by a massive 55%. Just last month, researchers at Harvard analyzed 36 gold standard studies and found that simply replacing red meat with high-quality plant protein significantly decreases heart disease risk.

Regarding cancer, people who eat the most beef increase their risk of colon cancer by 24%, while eating more beans decreases risk of colorectal cancer by 9%. This explains why the World Health Organization lists red meat as a "probable carcinogen". Not surprisingly, recent research also shows that red meat increases overall risk of death by 18%.

When it comes to athletic performance, research shows that eating a single beef hamburger reduces blood flow and increases inflammatory markers within just a few hours. Plant-based foods have been repeatedly shown to have the opposite effect, improving blood flow and reducing inflammation, thus setting the stage for greater performance, as outlined in this 2019 article in the journal Nutrients.

Taking this ever-mounting evidence into account, it should come as no surprise that many of the world's greatest athletes -- from Tom Brady and Serena Williams to Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi -- have embraced a plant-centered diet and are displaying tremendous results.

While Mr. Bowler may normally be an astute analyst, I feel his opinions are not consistent with the overwhelming body of research. The preponderance of medical literature does not support his opinions regarding the value of plant based alternatives to animal foods in terms of both health and economics.

Columbus Batiste, MD, FACC, FSCAI, is the Chief of Cardiology at two medical centers in Southern California.

This article was written by

Columbus Batiste, MD, FACC, FSCAI, is the Chief of Cardiology at two medical centers in Southern California.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. Business relationship disclosure: This article was written based on my medical expertise, in response to Mr. Bowler's article, cited above.

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Source: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4262625-setting-record-straight-beyond-meat-and-benefits-of-getting-your-protein-from-plants