Desirable characteristics of animal products from a human health perspective

Animal products, mainly meat and milk, contribute a significant proportion to the food intake of Western societies, providing good sources of essential nutrients for health. Over the past three decades, animal fat has been a hot discussion topic in terms of noncommunicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, evidence now exists for the potential health benefits of certain types of animal fat. This includes work on the optimum ratios of different unsaturated fatty acids for health benefits and, more recently, the health benefits of another group of animal fats, namely, conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). Animal studies have shown that CLA can reduce adiposity, improve plasma lipoprotein profiles and significantly modulate humoral and cellular immunity. However, the findings in humans have been varied and need to be examined in more detail. Similarly, animal protein plays a large part in animal products. However, they are the expensive part of the product, and so it is important to consider certain value-added aspects associated with the consumption of milk and meat proteins, especially in terms of providing a vehicle for the delivery of other nutrients. This review will examine ways in which more appropriate consumption of specific nutrients contained in animal products could help to off-set the incidence of noncommunicable diseases and so contribute towards a healthier lifestyle across the European Union. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.