Food - Drink
Why Red Meat Really Increases Heart Disease Risk, Study Reveals
By AUTUMN SWIERS
According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the world's number one cause of death. Certain habits and an unbalanced diet increase a person's risk of developing CVD, and speaking of diet, experts are looking at red meat.
Red meat has one of the highest saturated fat contents, but it isn't the fat content that concerns researchers. A published study found that red meat stimulates microbes in the stomach to produce a chemical called L-carnitine, which produces trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a chemical linked to CVD.
Researchers concluded that eating 1.1 servings of red meat daily has a 22% higher risk of developing CVD. Following a heart-healthy diet can stave off the risk of cardiovascular disease, and incorporating more leafy green vegetables into a person's diet decreases the risk by 16%.