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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #427446
Research Project: Regulatory Aspects of Nutritional Metabolism

Location: Children's Nutrition Research Center

Title: Nutritional importance of animal-sourced foods in a healthy diet

Author
item SHEFFIELD, SYDNEY - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item FIOROTTO, MARTA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item DAVIS, TERESA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)

Submitted to: Frontiers in Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/15/2024
Publication Date: 7/25/2024
Citation: Sheffield, S., Fiorotto, M.L., Davis, T.A. 2024. Nutritional importance of animal-sourced foods in a healthy diet. Frontiers in Nutrition. 11. Article 1424912. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1424912.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1424912

Interpretive Summary: The article emphasizes the nutritional importance of animal-sourced foods, such as meats, poultry, eggs, milk, and fish, which are rich in protein, essential amino acids, and essential micronutrients, such as zinc and iron. These foods support growth and development in children, maintain muscle mass in adults, and help reduce loss of muscle in the elderly. The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans highlight the role of animal-sourced foods in a balanced diet at every life stage. While plant-based foods also provide essential nutrients, animal-sourced foods are often more nutrient-dense their nutrients are more readily absorbed. The article also discusses the potential health risks associated with red and processed meat consumption, though recent studies suggest these risks may be less significant than previously thought.

Technical Abstract: Animal-sourced foods, such as meats, poultry, eggs, milk, and fish are nutrientdense foods that are rich sources of protein, essential amino acids, and micronutrients that can be challenging to obtain solely through plant-based foods. Animal-sourced protein foods provide crucial nutrients that support the growth and development in children, maintenance of muscle mass and function in adults, gain in muscle mass and strength in exercising individuals, and mitigation of sarcopenia in the elderly. The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have identified the Important role of animal-sourced foods in the diet at every stage of life. Animal-sourced foods are consumed worldwide and contribute to global food security.