Inside look at why meat is bad for you

A study in the journal Hypertension looked at the presence of trimethylamine-n-oxide, or TMAO, a byproduct from digesting certain meat-based proteins, in the bodies of 100 adults and 22 young adults. Researchers analyzed how it affects the risk of chronic disease. They found that meat-eaters’ TMAO level rose significantly with age, as did signs of health-threatening tissue and blood vessel damage. This was independent of the damage excess saturated fat in meats can do.

A previous study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found a more than 60 percent increased risk of major cardiovascular events in people with elevated TMAO.

The bottom line: To reduce TMAO levels, eliminate red and processed meats from your diet. Limit lean, skinless poultry to a 3- to 6-ounce serving. Eat fish such as salmon and sea trout that are loaded with heart-healthy omega-3 fats twice weekly, and learn how to cook well-seasoned plant proteins like peas and quinoa. In two weeks, you can lower your risk of heart and kidney disease, dementia and cancer.

Managing depression

A new study published in BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health looked at research on the two-way relationship between your brain and digestive tract — the gutbrain axis — and found that getting a regular dose of probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium bifidum is linked to significant reduction in symptoms of depression.

The researchers also found that depressive symptoms were reduced when probiotics were combined with a robust supply of prebiotics. Those are foods such as leeks, asparagus, onions, garlic, chicory, soybeans and Jerusalem artichokes, and whole grains that feed good-for-you microbes in your gut.

Major and persistent depression affect around 20 million American adults, and unfortunately medications fail to sustain improvement for between 40 percent and 60 percent of folks who take them. Adding in talk therapy can increase relief. And now, probiotics and prebiotics offer you one more way to manage symptoms. So if you’re blue, talk to your doctor, call a helpline (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration at 800-662-4357 or National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273- 8255), and do some shopping for gut-loving groceries and probiotics that make it through your stomach acid.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.