RED MEAT AND HEART DISEASE
For many decades, saturated fats as in steak, butter and coconut oil have been implicated in raising LDL lipoprotein that causes cardiovascular disease and even death. Red meat especially was associated with heart disease and mortality.
New studies show that the saturated fat in red meat may not be the only culprit for heart disease. Scientists are now studying a metabolite of red meat called TMAO which if elevated can increase the risk of cardiovascular events and death.
TMAO is produced by the microbiome of our GI tract from foods containing Choline and L-Carnitine. L-carnitine is found in meat, poultry, fish, dairy products and egg yolks.
Red meat high in l-Carnitine raises TMAO the most. In addition red meat reduces the ability of the kidney to excrete TMAO in the urine. White meat and non meat meals have lesser TMAO production. So besides cholesterol, the L-Carnitine-TMAO connection may cause cardiovascular disease. Fortunately there are labs that measure the TMAO levels which are indicative of a higher risk for heart disease.
Therefore people diagnosed with high TMAO can control it through diet.
Even white meat, fish, dairy and egg yolks can produce TMAOs. One can eat more egg whites and more plant based protein meals.
There are many nutritional supplements that contain L-Carnitine and Choline. L_ Carnitine is used for weight loss and muscle build up in athletes while Choline is used for memory. Are those products used in the microbiome to produvce TMAOs or are they safe? As we do not know the answer yet, we should not consume too much of these 2 amino acids just in case.
So what should we eat?
Have limited amounts of red meat in favor of lean skinless chicken breasts . Have salmon and trout. Choose rather vegetables, legumes, salads, whole grains and certain fruit. For your microbiome, , consume fermented foods like miso, herring, tempeh, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut and yogurt. . Try to avoid antibiotics in favor of prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics are foods that restore the good bacteria in the gut. They are dried beans, legumes, asparagus, onions, leeks, artichokes and garlic.. A good quaiity probotic is recommended for all healthy patients but not for the sick or immuno-compromised patients.
Also one can check the cardiovascular status of