Study Finds Hidden Reason Why Red Meat is Bad for Your Heart

There is a chemical in red meat which helps explain why eating too much steak, mince and bacon is bad for your heart health. This is according to a new study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, which found that bacteria in your guy breaks down the carnitine in red meat, which kicks off a chain of bad wellness events that increase your levels of cholesterol, as well as your risk of heart disease.

As a result of this study, dieticians have warned that if you are taking carnitine supplements you may be putting your wellbeing at risk. Dietician Catherine Collins said, ‘I would strongly recommend that unless you’re a vegetarian or vegan, there is a potential risk from taking L-carnitine, lecithin, choline or betaine supplements in an attempt to ward off cognitive decline or improve fat metabolism.’

Here in the UK, it is recommended that you eat 70g or less red or processed meat a day, which is the equivalent of two slices of bacon. This is because numerous studies have shown that regular consumption of red meat may be damaging to health, as saturated fat and the way processed meat is preserved are thought to contribute to heart problems. Yet this new study has shown that fats and cholesterol are not the whole story.

Lead researcher Dr Stanley Hazen explained, ‘The cholesterol and saturated fat content of lean red meat is not that high, there’s something else contributing to increases in cardiovascular risk.’ His experiments, which were performed on mice and people, showed that bacteria in the gut could eat carnitine, breaking it down into a gas which your liver converts to a chemical called TMAO. This waste product is strongly associated with a build-up of fatty deposits in blood vessels, which can cause heart disease and death.

Dr Hazen, from the Cleveland Clinic, commented that TMAO is often ignored: ‘It may be a waste product but it is significantly influencing cholesterol metabolism and the net effect leads to an accumulation of cholesterol. The findings support the idea that less red meat is better. I used to have red meat five days out of seven, now I have cut it way back to less than once every two weeks or so.’ He added that the results highlighted that probiotic yogurt can change the balance of bacteria in your gut.

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Study Finds Hidden Reason Why Red Meat is Bad for Your Heart

Categories: carnitine, cholesterol, heart, heart disease, meat, processed meat, red meat, Research, risk, waste product

Has a Nutrient in Red Meat Damaged Your Heart Health?

If you take a red meat nutrient as a supplement for weight loss, or to improve your muscle growth wellness, you may actually be harming your heart health. This is according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, which found that L-carnitine capsules, which are widely available in health food stores and online, may damage your heart and arteries.

These supplements are said to burn fat, build muscle, and even improve the wellbeing of people with heart conditions. However, this new study indicates that in individuals with raised levels of TMAO (a potentially harmful compound produced more by meat eaters than vegetarians or vegans) high levels of L-carnitine in the blood were associated with heart disease.

Led by Dr Stanley Hazen from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, US, the researchers wrote, ‘Discovery of a link between L-carnitine ingestion, gut microbiota metabolism and CVD (cardiovascular disease) risk has broad health-related implications. Our studies reveal a new pathway potentially linking dietary red meat ingestion with atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries).’

They continued, ‘Our studies have public health relevance as L-carnitine is a common over-the-counter dietary supplement. Our results suggest that the safety of chronic L-carnitine supplementation should be examined, as high amounts of orally ingested L-carnitine may under some conditions foster growth of gut microbiota with an enhanced capacity to produce TMAO and potentially advance atherosclerosis.’

Victoria Taylor, senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation, commented, ‘This is certainly an interesting discovery and sheds some light on why red meat might have an impact on heart health. While the findings won’t necessarily mean a change to existing recommendations, these scientists have served up a good reminder for us to think about alternative sources of protein if we regularly eat a lot of red or processed meats.’

She added, ‘The odd meat-free day isn’t such a bad thing and eating less meat automatically leaves room in your diet for other foods high in protein like fish, pulses, nuts and eggs, all of which should be part of a nutritious and varied diet. Unless told otherwise by a doctor or qualified health professional, we should be able to get all the nutrients we need from a healthy, balanced diet without additional supplements.’

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Has a Nutrient in Red Meat Damaged Your Heart Health?

Categories: Atherosclerosis, carnitine, gut microbiota, health, heart, heart health, meat, potentially, red meat, Research