The Daily Apple™© Volume 2, Number 6: The Red Meat, Blood Vessel & Heart Disease Connection
The Daily Apple™© Volume 2, Number 6
Friday, April 12, 2013, PGY 40 Day #262
The Stress Management Workbook covers Diet and Nutrition in Chapter 4, Increasing Stress Tolerance. Why are we jumping ahead? There is new scientific evidence to support tight limits on red meat consumption. This evidence is compelling enough to remind you again to limit red meat. Don't eat it more than twice weekly. For some with known atherosclerosis ... don't eat red meat at all and use a form of the "Mediterranean Diet". We will explain why in this blog.
Proper diet is essential to optimal health and well being. In The Stress Management Workbook, we advocate a diet that is "high-protein, low-fat, low-carbohydrate". That still works for healthy people and folks with no organ dysfunction (such as renal failure), or congenital metabolic defects. But, the question is this; exactly what should you eat to optimize benefit and minimize the risk? For otherwise healthy individuals and people with no special needs, here are the key words: Balanced and Fresh! Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Seeds, Vegetable oils, Lean meats, Fish, Eggs, Milk, Cheese. Avoid more than 2 servings of red meat per week and cut red meat out, if you have heart or blood vessel disease. RED MEAT and lower your l-carnitine consumption and this is why.
We have assumed that the FAT in red meat was the agent that causes disease. However, new evidence suggests otherwise. Under proper conditions, certain bacteria in the intestines produce a chemical that is absorbed into the bloodstream and promotes atherosclerosis. Here is the link to the article for those who are so inclined to study it.
This study results by Robert A. Koeth et al, published in Nature Medicine on April 7, 2013 showed that these gut bacteria make trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) from l-carnitine, which is abundant in red meat. High TMAO levels are associated wtih atherosclerosis in humans and mice. Cut out the red meat and/or the bacteria and TMAO blood levels drop.
This study demonstrates a few things and suggests a few more to be examined:
1. Red Meat changes bacterial composition in the gut and promotes atherosclerosis
2. The presence of "specific bacteria" in the gut promotes high blood levels of TMAO if red meat is consumed
3. High levels of TMAO are associated with atherosclerosis
4. Certain diets (without red meat) may suppress the "specific bacteria" implicated in this study
5. Antimicrobial properties of certain foods may prevent proliferation of "specific bacteria"?
This table will help you understand why red meat is the BIG dietary source of L-Carnitine.
| L-Carnitine Content of Selected Foods | ||
| Food | Serving | L-Carnitine (mg) |
| Beef steak | 3 ounces* | 81 |
| Ground beef | 3 ounces | 80 |
| Pork | 3 ounces | 24 |
| Canadian bacon | 3 ounces | 20 |
| Milk (whole) | 8 fluid ounces (1 cup) | 8 |
| Fish (cod) | 3 ounces | 5 |
| Chicken breast | 3 ounces | 3 |
| Ice cream | 4 ounces (1/2 cup) | 3 |
| Avocado | 1 medium | 2 |
| American cheese | 1 ounce | 1 |
| Whole-wheat bread | 2 slices | 0.2 |
| Asparagus | 6 spears (1/2 cup) | 0.2 |
*A 3-ounce serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards.
From the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University on L-Carnitine
"An apple a day keeps the Doctor away." Did you know that, among other things, apples contain natural antimicrobial chemicals? This study has me wondering how our diets have changed over the last century. Is our red meat different from the red meat of 1913? Are we eating antibiotics that change our intestinal bacteria? Hmmm ... keep on wondering with me. We will keep you updated as the information rolls on. In the meantime RED MEAT.
StepWisely®™© and GO TO HEALTH(TM) with us @ihealsolutions.
Have fun and be careful out there.
Dr. Mike
Michael F. Mascia, MD, MPH
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