Does Red Meat Metabolism Induce Hypertension?

Hypertension is a persistent illness that affects the lives of one billion people worldwide. Hypertension, a nearly symptomless disease, damages blood vessels and organs and often causes a myriad of ailments including serious cardiovascular complications. In many clinical studies, red meat has been found to increase blood pressure and is linked with hypertension. Trimethylamine-NOxide (TMAO), a compound produced mainly from the metabolism of red meat by intestinal microbiota, has been recently linked to cardiovascular disease. Careful review of current literature and recent findings suggests that TMAO could be the hypertensive component of red meat. This review provides a novel insight into the mechanism by which TMAO may induce hypertension.