Chemicals Found in Digestive Tract by Gut Microbes by Eating Red Meat Can Cause a High Risk of Heart Disease

According to a recent study, a large percentage of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease linked to higher red meat intake can be attributed to compounds generated in the digestive system by gut microorganisms after consuming red meat, such as beef, hog, bison, and deer.

Blood pressure and cholesterol were not linked to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) associated with red meat eating, although excessive blood sugar and inflammation may play a role.

Fish, poultry, and eggs were not linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in the general population.

Increased heart disease from eating red meat

(Photo : Usman Yousaf/Unsplash)

Meng Wang, Ph.D., co-lead author of the study and postdoctoral fellow at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, noted that dietary saturated fat and blood cholesterol levels have received the majority of attention in relation to red meat consumption and health, as per ScienceDaily.

Based on the research, scientists may be able to uncover strategies to lower cardiovascular risk by developing innovative therapies that specifically target the interactions between red meat and the gut flora.

According to earlier studies, several metabolites, or chemical byproducts of food digestion, are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), one of these metabolites, is created by gut bacteria to break down red meat that contains a lot of the chemical L-carnitine.

Humans who have high blood levels of TMAO may have an increased risk of CVD, chronic renal disease, and Type 2 diabetes.

However, it is yet unclear if TMAO and other metabolites linked to it that are formed from L-carnitine may help explain how red meat consumption affects cardiovascular risk, and how much they might be able to do so.

Also Read: Study Claims Red Meat Is Good For You, Experts Say Otherwise

The study explained

The researchers that carried out this investigation examined the concentrations of the metabolites in blood samples to comprehend these queries, as per New Food Magazine.

They also looked at the possibility that heightened cardiovascular risk linked with red meat intake may be attributed to blood sugar, inflammation, blood pressure, or blood cholesterol.

Nearly 4,000 of the 5,888 people who were initially enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study from 1989 to 1990 were study participants (CHS).

At the time of their participation in the CHS, an observational study of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in persons aged 65 or older, the participants are chosen for the current investigation were free of clinical cardiovascular illness.

The CHS tracked 5,888 participants in four communities: Sacramento, California; Hagerstown, Maryland; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

At the time of registration, individuals had an average age of 73, were almost two-thirds female, and classified themselves as white in 88% of cases.

Participants had follow-up for an average of 12.5 years, with some instances lasting up to 26 years.

Participants' medical histories, lifestyle choices, health issues, and sociodemographic details including age, family income, and educational attainment were evaluated during the follow-up session.

The amounts of numerous gut-microbiome components connected to intake of red meat, such as TMAO, gamma-butyrobetaine, and crotonobetaine, were measured in the fasting blood samples maintained frozen at -80 degrees Celsius.

The scientists concluded that about one-tenth of this higher risk was explained by the rise in TMAO and associated metabolites observed in the blood.

Additionally, they pointed out that blood sugar and general inflammatory pathways may contribute to the explanation of the associations between red meat consumption and cardiovascular disease.

Moreover, blood sugar and inflammation seem to have a bigger role in the association between red meat consumption and cardiovascular disease than blood pressure or cholesterol-related pathways.

Related article: Red Meat Contains 'Hidden' Emissions