Red meat and excess iron are not only among the causes of Alzheimer's, as reported by an earlier study, but they also contribute to increasing the risk of heart disease, at least according to the most recent research. On the other hand, there is no risk with regard to the iron present in plant foods.
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The excess of iron in red flesh not only would they be among the causes ofAlzheimer, as reported from a recent study, but it would also help increase the risk of heart disease, at least according to the latest research. On the other hand, there is no risk with regard to the iron present in plant foods.
La new research could help to better understand the link between diets rich in meat and heart disease. The type of iron in question is called "Ferro eme". This is the iron contained in foods of animal origin and especially in red meat (but also in fish, shellfish, liver and other types of meat). Heme iron is more easily absorbed by our body than non-eme iron present in plants.
For this reason, meat intake is often recommended as an essential source of iron. The problem is that thehigh bioavailability of heme iron could be related toinflammation and damage to the artery. The study in question was conducted by researchers at the Indiana University School of Public Health in Bloomington and will be published in the next edition of the Journal of Nutrition.
Experts have long suspected that too high levels of iron in the blood could contribute to the onset of heart disease, or even cancer, but no study had ever led to firm conclusions. In the new research, the scientists analyzed 21 studies involving nearly 300 participants over the course of 10 years.
This is the first research focused on the analysis of independent effects of heme and non-heme iron on people at risk of coronary heart disease. Participants who consumed mainly heme iron showed a increase of 57% of their cardiovascular risk rcompared to those who took the lowest amounts of heme iron. Non-heme iron, on the other hand, was not associated with a higher risk of heart disease.
La chemical difference between the two types of iron could explain their respective health effects. According to experts, the structure of heme iron would allow our body to absorb it even when the levels present in the blood are already optimal. Once absorbed, iron can speed up the oxidation of the LDL cholesterol, causing inflammation that can damage the tissues of the arteries.
Cardiac risk could be aggravated by a low consumption of fruit and vegetables, accompanied by ahigh meat intake. In any case, the experts stressed that more research will be needed to establish the cause-and-effect relationship between heme iron and heart disease.
Marta Albè
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