Beef from Wagyu cattle is the undisputed leader in terms of beef quality—a beef connoisseur’s delight.

Due to their unique DNA which is quite different from other breeds, Wagyu cattle produce the most highly marbled, most tender beef in the world.

They are genetically predisposed to produce an extraordinary amount of marbling, giving the beef an exquisite taste.

Not only is Wagyu beef highly marbled, the fact that Wagyu beef is extraordinarily tender, juicy and flavorful is due to the high concentration of “good fats” as compared to other types of beef. These “good fats” are also what makes Wagyu beef healthier.

The Eating Experience

People tasting Wagyu beef for the first time often utilize phrases such as “a buttery taste”, “it melts in your mouth” and “unbelievably juicy and tender” to describe the experience.

The “melt in your mouth” aspect of Wagyu beef is due to both a more tender meat fiber as well as a lower melting point marbling fat.  Due to its chemical makeup, the lower melting point fat is what imparts the rich taste and also what makes Wagyu beef so juicy.

Wagyu steaks are especially prized, usually cooked only a short time over a hot flame or skillet to preserve the precious marbling. Slow cooked Wagyu brisket, ribs, and roasts are also prized for their outstanding eating experience.

Increasingly, Wagyu hamburgers and even Wagyu sausages and hot dogs are making their way into the consumer market, sought after by consumers that want a better tasting product that is also healthier.

The Health Benefits

Replacing non-Wagyu beef with Wagyu beef in the diet is beneficial to one’s health. Wagyu beef is lower in total cholesterol than beef from other breeds.  In addition, as compared to other types of beef, Wagyu beef has a much higher proportion of the desirable monounsaturated fats (“MUFA”) compared to undesirable saturated fatty acids (“SFA”). The ratio can be as high as 3:1, which compares to a 1:1 ratio in ordinary beef.

Within the human body, cholesterol, which cannot be dissolved in blood, is carried to and from cells by High Density Lipoprotein (“HDL”) and Low Density Lipoprotein (“LDL”). These two lipids, along with triglycerides (a form of fat made by the body) and Lp(a), which is a genetic variation of LDL, comprise a person’s total cholesterol count.

Higher levels of HDL are considered beneficial. According to the American Heart Association, medical experts believe HDL tends to deliver cholesterol away from the arteries and to the liver where the body can get rid of it.

Some experts also believe HDL removes excess cholesterol from arterial plaque, thus slowing its build-up.  Therefore, it is believed that high levels of HDL are associated with reduced risk for heart disease and heart attacks, whereas low levels of HDL (less than 40 mg/dL) are associated with increased risk of heart disease.

LDL circulates more slowly in the bloodstream and can build up on the inner walls of arteries that carry blood to the brain and heart, helping to form plaque.  This can narrow the arteries while also making them less flexible. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, a heart attack or stroke can result.

Thus, foods that either elevate HDL in proportion to LDL or remain neutral in their influence on the ratio of HDL to LDL represent more healthful diet choices according to the experts.

MUFA has been proven by a variety of research to be either neutral to cholesterol levels, or to lower cholesterol levels, while also increasing HDL (good cholesterol) levels. Oleic Acid, the primary component in the MUFA contained in beef, lowers LDL (bad cholesterol) without affecting HDL, and is therefore associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. Wagyu beef contains a higher proportion of MUFA than other types of beef, with the ratios of MUFA to SFA up to three times higher.

SFA has been proven by research to raise cholesterol levels and may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Wagyu beef again shows health benefits as compared to beef from other breeds, because +40% of the SFA in Wagyu beef are in the form of stearic acids, which has a minimum impact on cholesterol.

“Essential fatty acids” are fatty acids that are essential to human health, but which cannot be “manufactured” by the human body and which must therefore come into the body through one’s diet.  From the perspective of health benefits, research shows that one of the most promising is Conjugated Linoleic Acid (“CLA”).  Research has also shown that Wagyu beef contains one of the highest CLA/gram of any foodstuff, about 30% more than beef from other breeds, due to higher levels of Linoleic acid.

The Cost

Wagyu beef is more expensive than regular beef.  This is because it is more scarce and rare as well as being more costly to produce.

The producer’s cost for seed stock (the original breeding stock) is higher than for most other breeds of cattle, which is in part due to scarcity at this time.  As more breeding stock becomes available, the cost of seed stock is expected to come down over time.

The cost of raising Wagyu steers to harvest age is also higher.  Wagyu cattle are typically fed a more expensive Japanese-style diet designed to help maximize marbling during the feeding and finishing process, as compared to a less expensive corn-based finishing diet fed to most beef cattle in the United States.  In addition, Wagyu cattle are also born smaller and grow slower than other breeds.  It is typical for fullblood (100% pure Japanese genetics) Wagyu steers to be fed twice as long as the more common breeds of beef cattle.