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Posted on Jan 30, 2004, 5 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
Scientists from the University of California in San Diego have found that eating red meat introduces a potentially dangerous molecule into the body. Professor Ajit Varki and colleagues found that eating red meat causes a sugar called N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) to be absorbed by tissues such as blood vessels.
Scientists from the University of California in San Diego have found that eating red meat introduces a potentially dangerous molecule into the body. Professor Ajit Varki and colleagues found that eating red meat causes a sugar called N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) to be absorbed by tissues such as blood vessels. Neu5Gc is present in high levels in lamb, pork, and beef, however it is not produced by humans, thus leading the researchers to suspect that it may trigger a harmful immune response that could encourage the development of heart disease and cancer.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.bbc.co.uk on the 29th September 2003.
