For years, red meat has been linked to heart disease, prompting many health experts to recommend cutting back or eliminating it.
But new research from South Dakota State University suggests that when eaten as part of an overall healthy diet, lean red meat might actually support mental health.
The study, led by Samitinjaya Dhakal, assistant professor in SDSU’s School of Health and Human Sciences, found that including red meat in a high-quality diet improved intake of key nutrients important for brain health.
It was also linked to positive changes in gut microbial diversity—an indicator of a healthy gut.
“What was really compelling was the significant nutritional benefit we saw in healthy eaters who consumed red meat,” Dhakal said.
“This suggests the public health message shouldn’t be about complete elimination, but about building a high-quality diet into which lean red meat can fit.”
The research team used data from the American Gut Project, the largest open-source microbiome initiative in the world.
This database contains extensive information on people’s diets, gut bacteria, and health, allowing researchers to explore complex diet–health relationships.
From the database, the team analyzed information from 4,915 adults.
Each participant’s diet was scored using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Eating Index (HEI), which measures how well a diet aligns with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better diet quality.
Participants were placed into four categories: those with a high HEI score (over 80) who ate red meat; high HEI without red meat; low HEI with red meat; and low HEI without red meat.
The results showed that people with high HEI scores maintained a healthy weight whether or not they ate red meat.
However, among those with high-quality diets, red meat eaters were more likely to meet recommended intakes for nutrients linked to brain function, including zinc, selenium, vitamin B12, and choline.
Higher HEI scores in general—regardless of meat consumption—were associated with lower odds of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and bipolar disorder.
But those who had high HEI scores and included red meat also showed stronger gut microbial diversity, which is often associated with better mental and overall health.
“Our findings support a less rigid approach to healthy eating,” Dhakal said. “It shows that focusing on the overall dietary pattern is a more powerful tool for long-term well-being than simply cutting out specific foods.”
The study’s findings were presented on June 2 at Nutrition 2025, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Orlando, Florida.
The research abstract was published in Current Developments in Nutrition, and the full paper is under review in Scientific Reports.
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