Eggs and red meat are once again on the chopping block, accused of being a nutritional no-no.
But this time, the charges against these two popular foods do not involve the evil dietary villain cholesterol.
This time the enemy is actually a fat known as lecithin that when processed, transforms into a chemical found to increase the risk for developing heart disease.
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine investigated the effects that certain food byproducts, coupled with intestinal bacteria, have on an individual's risk for heart disease.
Researchers looked into lecithin, also found in liver, soy, wheat, peanuts and milk, and found that another chemical called choline is produced after lecithin is broken up in the body. Choline is then consumed by bacteria existing in the digestive track, creating another chemical called TMAO, or trimethylamine N-oxide.
And this is when the problem begins.
TMAO is responsible for increasing the risk of a condition known as arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. This cardiovascular condition has long been associated with a heightened risk of heart disease, including stroke and cardiac arrest.
In this new study, researchers analyzed data from participants who ate two hard-boiled eggs. The participants' blood was then tested for TMAO and researchers found that when given a strong dose of antibiotic, TMAO levels did not increase. But if the subjects were not given the antibiotic, their TMAO levels increased to a normal level that is expected after eating eggs.
This evidence supports the idea that bacteria play a role in TMAO production.
And to make the study more comprehensive, researchers then monitored 4,000 people who had an angiography performed and followed them for three years.
The results showed that the subjects with high levels of TMAO were more than two times likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or death compared to others with low levels of TMAO.
And while TMAO has already been identified as a precursor to heart disease, the new findings reveal more information about how certain bacterial strains affect the body.
Experts hope that with more research in this area, creating a drug or vaccine that would kill certain risky bacterial strains could become a reality.