Organic Beef Dangers

When you shop for beef, whether it's a cut of juicy steak or a stack of hamburgers for a barbecue, you may be attracted to organic beef because of its perceived health benefits. Unfortunately, organic beef isn't perfect and may still pose a wide array of dangers to both you and the environment.

Cholesterol

Organic beef still contains cholesterol. The Alabama Cooperative Extension estimates that a standard 3-oz. cut of lean beef contains approximately 73 mg of cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol intake may cause an array of cardiovascular health conditions, including poor circulation and heart disease. When choosing your organic beef, the American Heart Association suggests buying lean cuts like chuck, round or loin, and avoiding prime-grade beef because it's higher in fat and cholesterol. When choosing organic ground beef, the association recommends choosing extra lean ground beef with a labeled fat percentage of 15 percent or less.

Cancer Risks

Organic beef is still beef, and eating red meat has been linked to an increased risk of numerous forms of cancer. For example, those who eat 3 oz. or more of beef daily have a 30 percent to 50 percent greater risk of contracting colon or rectal cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Meanwhile, Eunyoung Cho and other researchers in a study published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" in 2006 reported that women who eat 1 1/2 servings of beef daily have a 97 percent greater chance of contracting breast cancer over women who ate only three servings or less in a seven-day period. The study followed 90,659 premenopausal women for 12 years.

Environmental Concerns

The term "organic" has no bearing on what the cows were fed. Many organically raised cattle are still feed a grain diet instead of a grass-based diet. The Food Revolution says this puts an "added toll on the environment" because of to pollution from grain farming and fertilizer and manure runoff from feed lots.

Pathogen Contamination

Organic beef raised without antibiotics is often perceived as safer and less contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria compared with conventional beef, but this isn't necessarily true. A 2004 research study commissioned for Ohio State University, led by researcher Jeff LeJeune and published in the "Journal of Food Protection," found no difference between the two, noting that even organic beef can be contaminated with E. coli, salmonella and other antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Such pathogens create approximately 76 million cases of food poisoning every year in America, according to Ohio State University.