Beef tallow has a lot of fans touting its purported health benefits over seed oils.<\/p>\n
It even has a place in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025\u20132030, the U.S. government\u2019s official advice on what to eat and drink as part of a healthy diet.<\/p>\n
When cooking with fats, people should prioritize oils with essential fatty acids, such as olive oil, but other options can include beef tallow, the latest guidelines note<\/a>.<\/p>\n The rendered fat from beef cattle has a high smoke point, so it\u2019s used as a frying oil and as a shortening in baked goods. Some restaurants have recently switched to beef tallow when cooking french fries.<\/p>\n But some heart doctors have been alarmed by the trend.<\/p>\n Heart Health Tip of the Day: Avoid Beef Tallow<\/p>\n Data showing any health benefits of beef tallow \u201cis lacking,\u201d a panel of cardiologists wrote in a review<\/a> titled, \u201cA Clinician\u2019s Guide for Trending Cardiovascular Nutritional Controversies in 2026\u201d and published earlier this year in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology.<\/p>\n But there is \u201cconsiderable evidence of possible harm\u201d given that beef tallow can raise LDL cholesterol \u2014 the kind that can build up in arteries, experts warned in an accompanying editorial commentary<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cCollectively, no evidence supports using beef tallow as a healthier alternative to seed oils or other plant-based oils that are solid at room temperature\u201d such as palm, palm kernel or coconut oils, the cardiologists wrote.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, seed oils like canola, soybean, sunflower and corn oil provide cardiometabolic benefits without evidence of promoting inflammation in human studies, they added.<\/p>\n Why It Matters<\/p>\n Beef tallow is about 50% saturated fat, a type that\u2019s solid at room temperature.<\/p>\n A diet high in saturated fats raises LDL cholesterol levels, increasing the risk of heart disease, the American Heart Association warns. <\/p>\n LDL levels increased about 9% after consuming a high-fat meal containing beef tallow, according to a study<\/a> cited by the cardiologist review.<\/p>\n LDL cholesterol<\/a> and other substances form plaque, which causes coronary arteries to become hardened and narrowed, reducing blood flow.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you obstruct blood flow to a heart, you have a heart attack. If you obstruct blood flow to the brain, you have a stroke,\u201d said Dr. Clyde Yancy, chief of cardiology at Northwestern University\u2019s Feinberg School of Medicine, previously told NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n The AHA recommends<\/a> consuming no more than 13 grams of saturated fat per day \u2014 the equivalent of just one tablespoon of beef tallow.<\/p>\n It encourages consumers<\/a> to \u201climit high-fat animal products including red meat, butter, lard and tallow.\u201d<\/p>\n Animal fats are rich in nutrients, such as fat-soluble vitamins, and may be healthy when eaten occasionally in small amounts as part of a healthy diet, dietitians told TODAY.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n But a diet high in animal-based fat is associated with an elevated risk for both overall and cardiovascular disease mortality, a 2024 study<\/a> found.<\/p>\n How to Get Started<\/p>\n To help ensure good heart health, use plant oils rather than tropical oils \u2014 such as coconut or palm oil \u2014 and animal fats such as beef tallow, the experts recommend.<\/p>\n Olive oil<\/a> is considered the healthiest oil<\/a> for everyday cooking.<\/p>\n Beef tallow is \u201cprobably healthier than ultraprocessed foods high in starch, sugar and salt \u2014 but it\u2019s less healthy than olive oil, soybean oil, canola oil or fats from nuts or avocados,\u201d Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of Tufts University\u2019s Food is Medicine Institute, previously told NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n