A study has shown a new link between eating red meat and the likelihood of atherosclerosis, a cardiovascular disease that leads to the thickening and collapse of the arteries. The work, published in the magazineNature Medicine, showsthe effect of meat on bacteria in the digestive tractin humans and mice.
In our intestines live a multitude of bacteria that carry out metabolic processes, in many cases necessary for the digestion of food, but which in others produce compounds that damage our health as a result. The new research, conducted by American researchers from various universities, has shown that themicrobiota intestinalIt transforms L-carnitine, present in red meat, into a compound called N-oxide-trimethylamine (TMAO) that accelerates atherosclerosis in mice. Furthermore, the results revealed that this process works as a kind of loop, sinceregular consumption of red meat promotes the growth of bacteriathat carry out this metabolic reaction, further increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The scientists carried out a cardiovascular health monitoring and analyzed the levels of L-carnitine and TMAO in various groups of individuals classified according to the type of diet:omnivores, vegetarians and vegans. In addition, they conducted tests on mice subjected to different types of diets. TMAO levels were lower in the meatless diets, and furthermore, after consuming a large amount of L-carnitine, vegetarians and vegans did not show significant increases in TMAO.
“The microorganisms in our intestinal flora”, explains Stanley Hazen, one of the authors, “are the result of dietary patterns. A diet rich in carnitine alters our intestinal microbial composition and increases those bacteria that like carnitine. This makes meat eaters even more susceptible to the formation of TMAO and its effects on the arteries. However, vegans and vegetarians have a very reduced capacity to synthesize TMAO from carnitine, which may explain the benefits for cardiovascular health of these diets ”.
