Beef tallow benefits: Should you use it?

Moderation is key when it comes to beef tallow in your diet

Beef tallow is made by slowly cooking beef fat until it separates from other tissue. The remaining product is beef tallow, explains senior clinical dietitian Jessica Tilton.

Here’s what she told us about beef tallow and diet.

Is beef tallow healthy? The answer is complicated.

Asking whether beef tallow is healthy sounds like a simple question, but the answer is a bit more complex. While beef tallow contains some nutrients like monosaturated fats, choline and fat-soluble vitamins that may provide health benefits, it contains others, like saturated fat, that should be eaten in moderation.

Beef tallow’s health benefits are still being studied

Beef tallow may have some health benefits, but this needs to be studied further. For example, beef tallow may support:

• HDL or “good” cholesterol levels
• Brain health and cognitive function
• Metabolism
• Energy levels

The key thing to remember? These are all potential benefits; not confirmed ones.

Beef tallow is high in saturated fat

We know for sure that beef tallow contains a lot of saturated fat. Eating too much saturated fat may increase inflammation, increase the risk of heart disease and lead to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Wondering how the amount of saturated fat in beef tallow compares to other products like butter and ghee? The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central shows that 100 grams of beef tallow has 49.8 grams of total saturated fatty acids, while the same amount of unsalted butter has 50.5 grams and ghee has 60 grams.

Beef tallow is calorically dense

Like all fats, beef tallow is high in calories. There are 9 calories in a gram of fat. Consuming more calories than your body uses can lead to weight gain.

Research into beef tallow and inflammation is ongoing

Another sticky point? Whether beef tallow leads to inflammation. Beef tallow contains saturated fat, which may increase inflammation when consumed in high quantities. But it also contains nutrients like vitamins A, D, E and K, and a type of omega-6 fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid that may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties.

“The evidence is not clear as to whether beef tallow has a positive or negative effect on inflammation,” Tilton says. “More research is needed.”

What to know about incorporating beef tallow into your diet

So, what does this information mean for your daily habits?

Saturated fat should be eaten in moderation. The Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 recommends people ages 2 and older get less than 10% of their daily calories from saturated fat.

Another way to think about it? Men should get no more than 30 grams of saturated fat a day and women no more than 20 grams a day, Tilton says.

Cancer patients should talk to their care team to decide how much dietary fat is right for them.

RELATED: Macronutrients 101: What to know about protein, carbs and fats

While Tilton agrees that items cooked in beef tallow do taste good and that eating a small amount of saturated fat can be part of a balanced diet, she notes that beef tallow’s potential health benefits aren’t a reason to eat as much of it as possible.

Instead, MD Anderson dietitians recommend eating meals rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds. Fill two-thirds of your plate with whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds. The remaining one-third can be lean animal protein or plant-based protein.

Cooking at home? Tilton recommends using unsaturated fats, which are liquid at room temperature. Those include vegetable and seed oils, such as avocado, canola and olive oils. Aim to get your dietary fats from sources including vegetables, seeds, nuts and fish.

Beef tallow is moisturizing, but may not be the best moisturizer for you

In skincare, beef tallow is typically used to moisturize or soften skin, explains dermatologist Mika Tabata, M.D.

“It's a very extreme moisturizer. For patients with super dry skin, I think it could be helpful, but that's really the only major benefit that I would give it credit for,” she says.

Here, Tabata shares a bit more about beef tallow in skincare.

It isn’t a good choice for those with acne

Beef tallow is comedogenic, meaning it can cause acne. It’s also occlusive, meaning it prevents water from escaping. In other words, it’s “like putting a film on your skin,” Tabata explains. Not the best combination for people with oily or acne-prone skin.

“It is composed of fatty acids that kind of mimic our own oil that we make. I would personally not put it on my face for concern of adding oils,” she says. “For anyone prone to acne, I'd be very concerned about it causing acne.”

Beef tallow doesn’t contain ceramides

While beef tallow is moisturizing, it doesn’t have ceramides, an ingredient that is used to moisturize and aid in skin barrier repair.

“Whenever you compare beef tallow to other moisturizers that have been on the market for a long time, there are many brands that have ceramides, whereas beef tallow does not have ceramides,” she says.

It isn’t the most beneficial way to add vitamins to your skincare

While the types of vitamins in beef tallow do have skincare perks – for example, Vitamin E can protect skin from free radicals – it’s unclear if beef tallow contains enough of these vitamins to be impactful.

Interested in adding vitamins to your skincare? 

“Consider what your skin needs are and ask your dermatologist for recommendations,” Tabata says. “If you want to protect your skin from free radicals for anti-aging purposes, there are vitamin C and vitamin E serums on the market that have been studied.”

The quality of beef tallow products may vary

It can be hard to ensure the quality of beef tallow products compared to products that are made and tested in a lab.

“What the beef tallow is composed of really depends on the cow: what it eats, any hormones it might be exposed to, the health of the cow,” she says. “There might be some impurities or things that aren't listed on an ingredient label.”

Beef tallow may not be the most eco-friendly choice

Using beef tallow impacts more than just your skin – it also impacts the environment. Tabata notes that beef tallow isn't reef-safe and that cows produce methane, a greenhouse gas.

“That is something to be concerned about if people are wanting to start using beef tallow widely,” she says.

A dermatologist can help you find proven methods for treating skin concerns

While Tabata wouldn’t tell a patient not to use beef tallow as a body lotion, she would rather help a patient find research-backed solutions for their skincare concerns.

For someone with very dry skin on their face, this might mean pairing a hyaluronic acid serum with a moisturizing cream that is gentle, fragrance-free and non-comedogenic.

“Beef tallow hasn't really been extensively researched; it's kind of a new trend,” she says. “I would first know what their concern is and then I can direct them to something that has been more studied to address their concern.”

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