Red meat metabolite levels high in acute heart failure patients, research shows

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/uol-rmm021816.php

Public Release: 18-Feb-2016
Red meat metabolite levels high in acute heart failure patients, research shows
University of Leicester study shows possible link between red meat and heart disease
University of Leicester

Patients with acute heart failure often have high levels of the metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) - of which red meat is a major dietary source - according to researchers from the University of Leicester.

Red meat, which has been reported to be associated with cardiovascular disease, is a source of L-carnitine which is broken down by gut bacteria to form TMAO.

In previous studies TMAO has been association with mortality risk in chronic heart failure but this association in acute heart failure is still unknown.

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"Our study shows that higher levels of TMAO, a metabolite of carnitine derived from red meat, is associated with poorer outcomes associated with acute heart failure, one of the main diseases of the heart.

"This metabolic pathway provides a possible link between how red meat is associated with heart disease."