The Link Between Red Meat and Your Heart May Be in Your Gut

People who consume a lot of red meat are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease. Meat's saturated fats and cholesterol are thought to be the culprits. According to one study, the link between red meat consumption and heart disease may be due to gut microbes breaking down carnitine, a compound found in red meat.

Trillions of microbes live in the digestive system. These microbes, known collectively as the microbiota, aid in the breakdown of our food, producing a variety of minor compounds in the process. Trimethylamine is one of these compounds that can be metabolized to form trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO has been linked to atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up in the arteries.

Regular meat eaters produced more TMAO than vegans or vegetarians when the scientists gave them a beef steak and a carnitine supplement. Participants made less TMAO after eating carnitine when they were given antibiotics to suppress gut microbes. This suggests that gut microbes play a role in synthesizing TMAO from carnitine. The researchers examined the microbes in the digestive systems of the participants and discovered differences between meat eaters and non-meat eaters. They also discovered associations between carnitine consumption and plasma TMAO levels, implying that diet may influence gut microbiota and thus the ability to form TMAO from carnitine.

The team then examined approximately 2,600 patients who were undergoing cardiac evaluations. They discovered that plasma carnitine levels were linked to the risk of heart disease and cardiac events like heart attacks, strokes, and other heart disease symptoms. These associations were only found in people with high TMAO levels, implying that TMAO is an important link between carnitine and cardiovascular risk.

These findings may help to explain the increased health risks associated with red meat consumption. Our long-term dietary patterns dictate the composition of bacteria living in our digestive tracts A high-carnitine diet actually changes the composition of our gut microbes to those that prefer carnitine, making meat eaters even more susceptible to the formation of TMAO, which promotes atherosclerosis.

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Source: Red meat, TMAO, and your heart - Harvard Health

Red Meat-Heart Disease Link Involves Gut Microbes | National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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