Forty years ago, a self-made millionaire, heart attack survivor, and anti-cholesterol activist by the name of Phil Sokolof went after fast-food chains for their high-fat, deep-fried foods—particularly for their use of beef tallow as a cooking oil.
Eventually, McDonald’s and other chains switched to lower-fat oils—and though they credited research, rather than Sokolof’s campaign, the gadfly ran congratulatory ads anyway.
Fast forward to today, when Sokolof, who died in 2004 at the age of 82, is likely rolling in his grave.
That’s because beef tallow is enjoying a comeback. It’s being encouraged not only by many beauty influencers, who advise rubbing the rendered fat into your skin, but by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who fried his Thanksgiving turkey in tallow, has touted its alleged health properties, and recently praised Steak ’n Shake burger chain for “RFKing the french fries” by switching back to the old-school oil.
Are there any truths to the health-based claims of those greasing the wheels for beef tallow’s revival? Below, what we know.
What is beef tallow and why are people for it?
Beef tallow is made from slowly simmering the fat surrounding cows’ organs; this separates the fat from liquid and connective tissue, allowing the solidified fat to then be collected.
Those who support its use typically do so because it is natural and because they believe it’s healthier than seed oils—canola, corn, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed, etc—which Kennedy has blamed for a rise in obesity.
The American Heart Association, though, encourages the use of seed oils, noting, “The misleading charge is that seed oils are high in omega-6 fatty acids that break down into toxins when used for cooking, causing inflammation, weakening the immune system, and contributing to chronic illnesses.” But that’s not the case, says its quoted expert, Dr. Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine in California and a nutrition scientist at the Stanford Prevention Research Center.
While omega-3s (found in beef tallow) might be better for your health, he points out, omega-6s are not bad—and in fact constitute a polyunsaturated fat that the body needs but cannot produce by itself, and which helps the body reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol, thereby lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Lisa Young, a nutritionist and an adjunct professor at NYU, told NBC News, “People are blaming the seed oils when that’s not what’s toxic. It’s the sugar and salt in the junk food that they’re using.”
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Phil Sokolof, President of the National Heart Savers Association, in April 1988. (Photo by Lisa Cohen/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)
Further, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and head of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, told NPR that “concern around seed oils is really a distraction, and we need to be focusing on the real problems,” which are overdoses of refined grains, starches, sugars, salt and other preservatives, chemical additives, and contaminants from packaging.
“Seed oils are actually the bright spot,” he said. “Seed oils are healthy fats, healthy monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fats that are really good for our bodies.
What science says about beef tallow
Beef tallow is high in—about 50%—saturated fat, which raises LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which in turn raises the risk of heart disease. It’s why the American Heart Association advises against it, and why Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a group of 17,000 doctors dedicated to saving and improving human and animal lives through plant-based diets, has issued a consumer warning about the beef tallow.
Various studies have found that replacing saturated fat with plant sources of fat has benefits against heart disease. A review in the journal Circulation, for example, looked at 13 studies with 310,602 participants and found that replacing just 5% of calories from animal-sourced saturated fat with vegetable oil, seeds, and nuts—rich in linoleic acid, which is an omega-6 fatty acid—was associated with a 9% lower risk of heart disease and a 13% lower risk of death from heart disease.
A large cohort study published in JAMA Internal Medicine earlier this month found that substituting butter—another high-in-saturated-fat animal product—with plant-based oils, particularly olive, soybean, and canola oils, may help prevent premature death from heart disease and cancer.
The National Institutes of Health, in its guide of healthy cooking oils for parents, urges the use of canola, safflower, sesame, sunflower, corn, and olive oil over all animal-based oils, including chicken fat, lard, and beef tallow—with coconut oil and palm oil, both high in saturated fats, the only plant-based options appearing lower down on the list.
On the bright side, beef tallow does contain small amounts of omega-3s, according to Cleveland Clinic, as well as “fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K,” Abby Langer, a clinical nutritionist and registered dietitian told USA Today, providing benefits including improved skin, eye, teeth and bone health, plus boosted immune function. Still, there are other sources and, because of its connection to heart risk and stroke, she wouldn’t recommend tallow.
Beyond cooking, beef tallow has long been used to make soap and skincare products. But a recent large-scale review of current research around its pros and cons did not find much in the way of recommending it be slathered onto skin.
While tallow was found to offer “hydrating and moisturizing properties,” researchers found, comparative studies found that options including pumpkin seed oil and linoleic acid offered superior moisturizing benefits. Regarding research indicating tallow could be beneficial with skin conditions including dermatitis, dry skin, and psoriasis, it was concluded that more research is needed—particularly since some papers reported that tallow caused severe skin or eye irritation.
Finally, the review sought to determine whether or not beef tallow is healthy for the earth by looking into its reef-safety—something typically examined when rating sunscreens, and meaning that wearing it in oceans and having it wash off would not harm marine life.
Researchers concluded from the evidence that beef tallow is not reef-safe, writing, “This is important because some consumers prefer products that are environmentally friendly. Tallow is also an animal-derived product, and due to a rising trend through social media and increased awareness about how [personal care products] are made, many consumers now prefer products that are plant-based or considered vegan, which decreases the marketability of tallow as a skincare or cosmetic ingredient.”
They added, “Moreover, this could also indicate that tallow may have long-term effects on humans as well, which is something that needs more research.”
A growing share of US consumers say they’re not seeking loans because they expect to be refused amid tight credit conditions, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The share of discouraged borrowers, defined as respondents who said they needed credit but didn’t apply because they didn’t expect to get approved, climbed to 8.5% in the New York Fed’s latest Survey of Consumer Expectations. That’s the highest level since the study began in 2013.
The perceived likelihood of being rejected increased across different forms of credit, from cards to secured loans to buy homes and cars. Roughly one-third of auto loan applicants expected to get turned down, the highest share since the start of the series, while nearly half of all respondents in the February survey said it’ll be harder to get credit in a year’s time.
The data adds to a picture of increasingly fragile household finances for many Americans, as a cooling job market slows wage gains while high borrowing costs are making bills harder to pay. Delinquency rates remain low by pre-pandemic standards but they’ve been edging higher in most categories, and lenders are turning cautious.
More than four in 10 US homeowners who sought to refinance their mortgages had their applications rejected, according to the February survey, quadruple the share in October 2023.
With mortgage lending rates still much higher than a couple of years ago, many people seeking a refi are likely trying to tap equity accumulated during the recent housing boom in order to meet other debt costs or expenses, rather than to reduce their monthly payments. Inability to do so could put some under pressure to sell their homes.
Meanwhile, the share of consumers in the New York Fed survey who said they could come up with $2,000 in the event of an unexpected need declined to 63%, a new series low.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a fireside chat with Stephen Cheung, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) and its subsidiary, the World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA) at the 2025 Economic Forecast and Industry Outlook convening on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, at the East LA College in Los Angeles.
Multimillionaire musician Will.i.am invested early in Tesla, Twitter, and OpenAI—now he’s betting on Gen Z MIT and Stanford grads for his next investment
Will.i.am has an estimated net worth of $50 million, thanks to hit singles and solid investments in the likes of Anthropic and Pinterest. In a conversation with Fortune, he reveals where he’s investing next.
Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am has built a fortune off chart-topping hits like “Scream & Shout” and “Where Is the Love?” As of 2025, he’s reportedly worth around $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth—but it’s not just music that’s made him millions.
Beyond his success in the studio, he was an early investor in Tesla, Pinterest, and OpenAI, proving his business instincts are just as sharp as his songwriting. Now the rapper, producer, and The Voice UK judge has revealed what he’s looking for from his next investment.
“I did some pretty cool investments in the past,” Will.i.am (real name: William James Adams Jr.) told Fortune, while listing Pinterest, Dropbox, Open AI, and Anthropic as some of his smartest bets.
“I invested in Tesla in 2006, before Elon [Musk] took over the company, and he’s done great, taking it to where it is. Hopefully, he can figure out a way to get it back to its glory,” he added. “I invested in Twitter early on. When Jack [Dorsey] left, I sold it. Made good there.”
So, what’s Will.i.am looking for in his next investment? “I’m hunting for what they call large concept models,” the 50-year-old Grammy Award–winning artist revealed.
“Right now, we’re in large language models, but they’re not concepts. It’s just language—they’re just regurgitating our imagination and our concepts,” he explained.
“Around the corner, someone’s going to build large concept models. So you want to hunt for that. You want to hunt for the people that are out there doing that. They’re students right now, they’re at MIT, they’re at Stanford. They’re young kids, and they’re native to this. So you want to hunt for that. That’s the only thing I’m focused on.”
Will.i.am has a long history as a futurist and tech entrepreneur. In 2011, Intel named him its “director of creative innovation.” His startup, i.am+, raised $117 million in 2017. Now, Will.i.am has set his sights on AI. He most recently founded FYI—an AI-driven productivity and communication platform for creatives—where he serves as CEO.
Will.i.am was speaking to Fortune in Rome for the rollout of Raidio.FYI radios in Mercedes-Benz cars.
Will.i.am’s biggest investment mistake
For all his successes, there’s one missed opportunity that still haunts Will.i.am: declining to invest in Airbnb when he had the chance.
Its founder Brian Chesky approached the rapper in the company’s early days with an opportunity to invest up to $200,000 in a fundraising round, but Will.i.am was skeptical.
“When you travel and you have success, you get used to the best hotels, the best service, right? So sometimes, when you’re used to the best, and you’re used to being pampered by the best, that could cripple you because when new experiences come, like Airbnb, you’re gonna base it off of the best,” he explained.
“You’re gonna say, hey, so you guys have concierge, and he’s gonna say, no. That ain’t gonna work. So you guys have room service? No. That ain’t gonna work. So I was tunnel vision and pampered by luxury.”
Airbnb went on to have one of the most successful IPOs in history in December 2020. Had he taken Chesky up on the offer, Will.i.am’s $200,000 stake could be worth millions of dollars today.
Entertainment8 years ago