The Dose-Response Effects of Lean Beef in a Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Exclusion Criteria

• •Low HDL-C (\<15th percentile of US population)
• •Use of cholesterol lowering medications
• •Elevated blood pressure (systolic blood pressure \> 160 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure \> 100 mm Hg) or use of medication to treat hypertension for less than 6 months
• •Elevated triglycerides ( \> 350 mg/dL)
• •Active cardiovascular disease (such as a heart attack or procedure within the past six months or participation in a cardiac rehabilitation program within the last six months, stroke, or history/treatment for transient ischemic attacks in the past six months, or documented history of pulmonary embolus in the past six months)
• •Presence of kidney disease, liver disease, gout, untreated or unstable hyper- or hypothyroidism, certain cancers, gastrointestinal disease, pancreatic disease, other metabolic diseases, or malabsorption syndromes
• •Women who have given birth during the previous 12 months
• •Pregnant women or women who plan to become pregnant or become pregnant during the study
• •Lactating women
• •Weight loss of ≥ 10% of body weight within 6 months prior to enrolling in the study
• •Smokers or use of any tobacco products in past 6 months
• •Known (self-reported) allergy or adverse reaction to study foods
• •History of eating disorders or other dietary patterns which are not consistent with the dietary intervention (e.g., vegetarians, very low fat diets, high protein diets)
• •Unable or unwilling to give informed consent or communicate with study staff
• •Self-report of alcohol or substance abuse within the past 12 months and/or current acute treatment or rehabilitation program for these problems (long-term participation in Alcoholics Anonymous is not an exclusion)
• •Other medical, psychiatric, or behavioral factors that in the judgment of the Principal Investigator may interfere with study participation or the ability to follow the intervention protocol