In a study conducted, men and women were asked to eat 8 oz. steaks, then had their blood drawn after as a way to further study how red meat contributes to heart disease. The results showed that a chemical called carnitine that is found in red meat is actually more dangerous than the meat's saturated fat and cholesterol. Carnitine by itself is not dangerous, but once ingested, it is metabolized by intestinal bacterial and turned into another chemical called TMAO, which then enters the bloodstream. TMAO allows cholesterol to get into artery walls, blocking them, and prevents the excretion of excess cholesterol. It is a major contributor to heart attacks and heart disease. In tests done, people who had high levels of carnitine or TMAO in their blood were found to be at higher risks for heart disease. In the test conducted, the subjects showed spikes of TMAO levels in their blood hours after eating the red meat. However, the researchers administered antibiotics to the subjects in order to wipe out the bacteria in their intestines, and TMAO no longer showed up in their blood after consuming red meat or any type of carnitine since they had almost no bacteria. Researchers are hoping to pinpoint which particular bacteria are the culprits of metabolizing carnitine into TMAO so that they can develop antibiotics to only wipe out that type as a new method of treating heart disease and lowering the risk for it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/08/health/study-points-to-new-culprit-in-heart-disease.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
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