The UC San Diego team finds a way to reduce the health risks associated with red meat

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Researchers at the San Diego University School of Medicine (UC San Diego) believe they have found a way to reduce what they describe as health risks associated with red meat.

A study published Monday in the journal Nature Microbiology examines whether bacterial enzymes can be used to remove from our tissues a carbohydrate created when humans eat red meat.

Researchers say that carbohydrates, called Neu5Gc, accumulate as we eat red meat. They suggest that our immune system treats Neu5Gc as a foreign invader and generates antibodies against it, resulting in chronic inflammation and other diseases.

A team led by San Diego professor of pediatrics and bioengineering, Karsten Zengler, Ph.D., believes that bacterial enzymes could eliminate Neu5Gc from red meat before people eat it.

"We hope this approach can be used as a kind of probiotic or prebiotic to help reduce inflammation and the risk of inflammatory diseases – without giving up steak," said Zengler.

Researchers bought a steak sausage and pork in a grocery store and rubbed it with a bacterial enzyme made in the laboratory. They discovered that "most Neu5Gc's are gone," according to UC San Diego officials.

Zengler and his team are working on the optimization of the enzyme to ensure that it eliminates Neu5Gc and not similar carbohydrates. The group will also explore opportunities for mass production and the potential to prevent inflammation and inflammatory diseases.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the University of San Diego Chancellor's Research Excellence Award (UC San Diego) and Science Without Borders, officials said.