Research

Hormonal

Higher intake of unprocessed red meat and total meat is associated with a significantly higher incidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in older adults, partly mediated by gut microbiota-derived metabolites TMAO, gamma-butyrobetaine, and crotonobetaine.

If you are over 65, be mindful of your red meat consumption. This study links higher intake of unprocessed red meat and total meat to a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. The risk is partly explained by how gut bacteria process compounds in red meat into substances like TMAO. You don't need to eliminate red meat entirely, but balancing it with fish, poultry, and plant-based proteins may help lower your cardiovascular risk.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
After multivariable-adjustment, higher intakes of unprocessed red meat, total meat, and total ASF associated with higher ASCVD risk, with hazard ratios (95% CI) per interquintile range of 1.15 (1.01–1.30), 1.22 (1.07–1.39), and 1.18 (1.03–1.34), respectively. Trimethylamine N-oxide-related metabolites together significantly mediated these associations, with mediation proportions (95% CI) of 10.6% (1.0–114.5), 7.8% (1.0–32.7), and 9.2% (2.2–44.5), respectively.
Meng Wang et al. · Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology · 2022

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort study (3931 participants) with long follow-up (median 12.5 years) and rigorous adjustment for confounders.

Source

Dietary Meat, Trimethylamine N-Oxide-Related Metabolites, and Incident Cardiovascular Disease Among Older Adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Meng Wang et al. · Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology · 2022

DOI 10.1161/atvbaha.121.316533

cohort · n=3931Cited 71×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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