Ordering chicken over beef for your health? About that…

Choosing grilled chicken over a cheeseburger or steak at dinner might not be such a healthy choice after all.

New research, published Tuesday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests that poultry may raise blood cholesterol levels the same way red meat does. In the study, led by scientists at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, 113 adults were assigned to one of three diets for one month: rich in lean cuts of beef, lean cuts of chicken or turkey, or plant proteins. After each month, the participants’ diet was changed, so that each participant ended up trying all three diets.

However, half of the participants’ diets were high in saturated fat while the other half ate a low-saturated fat diet. Scientists were surprised to discover that eating white meat, like red meat, increases blood cholesterol levels more than consuming a comparable amount of plant proteins. Researchers observed this result regardless of whether the diet contained high levels of saturated fat.

Dr. Ronald Krauss, study author and director of atherosclerosis research at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, said in a press release that grass-fed beef, fish and processed products like bacon and sausages were not studied, as U.S. News reports.

“When we planned this study, we expected red meat to have a more adverse effect on blood cholesterol levels than white meat, but we were surprised that this was not the case – their effects on cholesterol are identical when saturated fat levels are equivalent,” Krauss said.

Researchers concluded that cutting back on white meat in addition to red meat is recommended for lowering cholesterol. According to the study, plant proteins, such as vegetables, beans and legumes, are the healthiest for blood cholesterol levels.