Red Meat and Heart Disease

[Deb]

The link between red meat and heart disease risk is nothing new, but a new study shows the reason behind the risk may not be what doctors have long thought.

Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic have discovered it's not the saturated fats or cholesterol from a fatty steak that's triggering heart problems, but a chemical process involving gut bacteria and a compound found in meat called carnitine that may be to blame.

"Carnitine metabolism suggests a new way to help explain why a diet rich in red meat promotes atherosclerosis," study author Dr. Stanley Hazen, section head of preventive cardiology and rehabilitation in the Miller Family Heart and Vascular Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, said in a written statement.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-575 ... t-disease/

[JFR]

Here's what Chris Kresser has to say about that study:

http://chriskresser.com/red-meat-and-tm ... 1b567a95a9

In a sentence his conclusion is:

Frankly, the conclusions of the authors (that eating red meat increases the risk of heart disease via TMAO production) are so incongruous with the data in the study that it’s difficult to imagine how it could have passed peer review.

Jean

[Deb]

I find it interesting that more and more emphases seems to be focusing on our gut bacteria.

[tex]

it’s difficult to imagine how it could have passed peer review

I agree with him about the research article, but IMO it's easy to understand how it could have passed peer review — it generally supports the prevailing view (that red meat increases the risk of heart disease), so it automatically gets a free pass. If it had conflicted with the prevailing guidelines about the risks of red meat in the diet, it would have never passed the peer review process (IMO).

Tex

[KD]

Peer Review ? In modern research there is no such thing. Most research that is being done these days is done without review and is usually tainted by prior opinion, drug company influence or researcher bias and peer review is rarely done. I love Chris Kresser's attitude toward this study because it is true related to prior conclusions regarding red meat and Cholesterol/HD. Below I willl post a series of videos that you should pass on to everyone you know regarding this subject. It demonstrates how studies can be directed to conclusions that end up being false, but the public is lead to believe. All of the prior info. regarding Chol/HD Is completely false because of researcher bias. I recently turned a new pt. onto this info and he was so angry that he had followed a low fat, high carb diet for his health for many years and then found out it was all a lie. He came to me because he was suffering from neuropathy probably related to the statin drug he was taking to prevent CHD. He went out immediatly and had a big jucy hamberger to celebrate his liberation from statins!!

One factor in the current research that was completely left out regarding red meat is the difference between commercially grown beef and grass fed beef, which have huge differences in chemical composition.

Part One http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exi7O1li ... ature=fvwp

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmwNpUJUjPg

Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxDuLKz39c

Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9mQ-QZkZpk

Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEayi6IBjZw