There are various of reasons as to why eating meat significantly increases one’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease including, but not limited to, cholesterol and fat to toxins from the burning meat. In addition, another component is from a metabolite called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO is produced by gut bacteria as a result from metabolizing the high amounts of L-carnitine found meat.
There have been plenty of evidence of TMAO’s influence in cardiovascular disease development, researchers from Tufts University of Boston added to this body of evidence published in journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB).
The study involved almost 4,000 participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), an observational risk factor study.
All participants were free of clinical cardiovascular disease at the start of the study with an average age of 73 years old at time of enrollment with a median follow-up time of 12.5 years. The study also included various sociodemographic data in addition to person medical data.
Several blood biomarkers associated with the gut-microbiome relationship from meat eating was measured, including for TMAO, gammabutytobetaine, and crotonobetaine. In addition, participants answered validated food-frequency questionnaires.
Researchers found that meat eating was linked to a higher risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease of 22% at just 1.1 serving per day.
They also found that it was more than just TMAO from meat consumption causing cardiovascular disease but the diet also led to increased hyperglycemia and general inflammation.
Therefore, if you want do not want heart disease and want to age in a way where you can enjoy the most of life without chest pains and heart failure, polypharmacy, and hospitalization, it is best that you stop eating meat and start eating more vegetables.
M Wang et al. Dietary meat, trimethylamine N-oxide-related metabolites, and incident cardiovascular disease among older adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (2022). DOI: 10.1161/ATVBAHA.121.316533
