THE ESSENTIAL
- To reduce the cardiovascular risk, it is advisable to stop smoking, to practice regular physical activity, to limit alcohol consumption and to avoid consuming foods high in fat.
- If the change in lifestyle is not enough. The doctor may prescribe drug treatment to the patient to limit cardiovascular complications.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women in France and the second among men, according to Public Health France. This term covers several types of pathologies, such as cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), myocardial infarction, heart failure or peripheral vascular disease. Among the factors that may explain their development, we find heredity, age, smoking, high blood pressure, sedentary lifestyle, high cholesterol, obesity or even a poor diet. A team of researchers has just studied this last factor and, more precisely, the impact of the consumption of red meat on the body. According to scientists, people who eat it are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease. Their work has been published in the journal Nature Microbiology.
TMAO would increase the risk of cardiovascular disease
To understand what happens in our body when we eat red meat, we must take an interest in TMAO (trimethylamine oxide), a molecule produced by intestinal bacteria when they digest an amino acid derivative. called “carnitine” found in red meat. In previous research, scientists have observed that TMAO increases the risk of heart disease, blood clots, and stroke.
But how do gut microbes produce TMAO? With this new study, researchers have answered that question. They observed the two-step process by which gut bacteria convert carnitine into TMAO. In the intestines, few bacteria are able to immediately transform this amino acid into TMAO. Initially, the intestinal microbes thus transform carnitine into a molecule, called γBB (gamma-butyrobetaine). Then, a specific type of bacteria, called Timonensis emergency, take care of transforming the γBB molecule into TMAO.
Stool samples taken from study participants confirmed this observation. The introduction ofTimonensis emergency promoted the transformation of carnitine into TMAO, thereby increasing patients’ TMAO levels. In addition, a study of the blood tests of 3,000 participants found that those who had high levels of yBB were at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Reduced cardiovascular risk in vegetarians and vegans
The researchers succeeded in identifying four genes (gbuA, gbuB, gbuC and gbuE) which are essential for the conversion of γBB to TMAO. According to them, a high level of gbuA in the blood is associated with a diet rich in red meat and high levels of TMAO. A meatless diet is believed to be associated with reduced intestinal microbial levels of gbuA. Scientists noted that vegetarians and vegans had minimal or no ability to convert carnitine to TMAO and therefore had a lower cardiovascular risk.
In conclusion, the authors believe that reducing your consumption of red meat could reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Ultimately, the discovery of this process of transforming carnitine into TMAO could allow the development of new, more targeted treatments.