Here's One Way Meat and Eggs Can Kill You

Bacteria May be Reason Some Foods Cause Heart Disease, Stroke

Researchers trying to figure out how meat causes heart disease came up with another possible explanation Monday: an essential nutrient found in meat and eggs might be a culprit.

They found evidence that choline may feed gut bacteria that in turn produce a compound that makes blood sticky and prone to form clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes.

A photo of eggs cooked to different temperatures included in "The Food Lab" by J. Kenji López-Alt. J. Kenji López-Alt / W.W. Norton and Company

It's the latest in their series of studies looking at what specific compounds in food raise people's risk of heart disease, the no. 1 cause of death in the U.S. and much of the world.

Choline is considered an essential nutrient and getting too little can, ironically, lead to heart disease, cancer and other conditions.

It's found in abundant quantities in egg yolks, liver, red meat, peanuts and wheat germ.