Before I go on with this blog post, I would like to put the
message in this post in a context—everything is in moderation. I am not against red meat—in fact, I am a big
proponent of red meat in moderation as part of a diet for its quality protein
and iron content. However, red meat does
have its downside including increasing the risk for cardiovascular disease.
A research led by Dr. Stanley Hazen, at Cleveland Clinic,
revealed a pathway by which red meat can promote atherosclerosis, or hardening
of the arteries. Essentially, bacteria in the gut convert L-carnitine, a
nutrient abundant in red meat, into a compound called trimethylamine, which in
turn changes to a metabolite named trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), which
promotes atherosclerosis.
In a recent article published on the journal, Cell Metabolism, Dr. Hazen and his team
extend their earlier research and identify another metabolite, gamma-butyrobetaine,
that is generated to an even greater extent by gut bacteria after L-carnitine
is ingested, and it too contributes to atherosclerosis.
The researchers found that gamma-butyrobetaine is produced
as an intermediary metabolite by microbes at a rate that is 1,000-fold higher
than the formation of trimethylamine in the gut, making it the most abundant
metabolite generated from dietary L-carnitine by microbes in the mouse models
examined. Moreover, gamma-butyrobetaine can itself be converted into
trimethylamine and TMAO. Interestingly, however, the bacteria that produce
gamma-butyrobetaine from L-carnitine are different from the bacterial species
that produce trimethylamine from L-carnitine.
Therefore, now we know that metabolism of L-carnitine into
atherosclerosis causing metabolites involves at least two different gut
microbial pathways and different types of bacteria. The researchers suggest that shifting gut
bacterial composition with probiotics might be a potential strategy for
preventing atherosclerosis.
Journal Reference: Robert
A. Koeth, Bruce S. Levison, Miranda K. Culley, Jennifer A. Buffa, Zeneng Wang,
Jill C. Gregory, Elin Org, Yuping Wu, Lin Li, Jonathan D. Smith, W.H. Wilson
Tang, Joseph A. DiDonato, Aldons J. Lusis, Stanley L. Hazen. γ-Butyrobetaine Is
a Proatherogenic Intermediate in Gut Microbial Metabolism of L-Carnitine to
TMAO. Cell Metabolism, 2014; 20 (5):
799 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2014.10.006
Thanks for reading!
Connie
connie@cherRuby.com
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