Dr. Stanley Hazen, head of preventive cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, recently conducted a research study in which he found a new link between heart disease and red meat, according to The Huffington Post.
It was long believed that the high amounts of saturated fats and cholesterol in red meat were the cause of heart disease. However, the new study points to a new culprit, which may have a more direct link that puts us at a cardiovascular risk.
In studies with mice and humans, the scientist and his team uncovered that the nutrient, L-carnitine, which is also used as a dietary supplement, played a role in heart related issues.
"We now have an understanding of a new nutritional pathway that helps explain the long-standing recognition of a link between red meat and the development of heart disease," said Dr. Hazen. "This study suggests carnitine may be a piece of this link."
The pathway he is referring to, involves gut bacteria, which metabolize the carnitine nutrient in people who regularly eat meat.
Dr. Brazen was drawn to the research after his team discovered that microorganisms in intestines can convert "substances found in choline, a common dietary fat, to a by-product known as TMAO, trimethylamine-N-oxide," according to The Huffington Post.
L-carnitine has a similar chemical structure to choline, according to The Post.
Carnitine can also be found in poultry, fish, milk and other dairy products. It is also often advertised as a nutrient which helps build muscle, says The Post.
The researchers then studied 2,600 men and women, which showed that high levels of carnitine could "strongly" predict a persons risk to heart disease. This occurs in adults who have a high level of TMAO.
The carnitine "causes more cholesterol to be deposited onto artery walls, and less to be eliminated from the body, according to Huffington.
The team also compared meat eaters to vegetarians and found that people who ate fewer animal products produced a lower concentration of TMAO.
Dr. Brazen offered up this advice for people who consume a lot of red meat.
"If you're eating a lot of red meat, this study argues to consider cutting back," he said.
He also mentioned that taking carnitine as a supplement had little to no effect on muscle building and that you are exposing yourself to heart disease down the road.
