Eating eggs could increase the risk of developing a dangerous heart rhythm problem that can trigger deadly stroke, a study has suggested.
Researchers have found a link between a compound found in the bloodstream that’s released after eating a number of everyday foods – including egg yolks and beef steak – and atrial fibrillation.
The condition, which causes the heart to beat irregularly, can lead to heart failure and stroke.
Now experts at the Cleveland Clinic in the US have found that those with the life-threatening problem have high levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) – which is produced in the gut in response to certain foods.
TMAO is released during digestion of nutrients like carnitine and choline, which are in foods like beef steak and livers, pork and egg yolks.
Scientists in the new study – published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation – analysed the blood cells of 5,000 people from the US.
They found those with higher levels of TMAO in their blood had 70 per cent higher odds of atrial fibrillation than those with the lowest levels.
This was even after accounting for other factors that can increase the risk of the disorder, which include older age, high blood pressure and obesity.
Having higher levels of a chemical produced by the body after eating red meat could put people more at risk of a dangerous heart rhythm disorder, a study suggests
Atrial fibrillation affects around 1.5million people in the UK.
According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), people with the condition are five times more likely to suffer a stroke.
Robert Koeth, an electrophysiologist at Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the study, said: ‘Most current treatments for atrial fibrillation focus on managing the condition, but our findings suggest there may be an opportunity to intervene much earlier through diet.’
The researchers also carried out experiments in mice to investigate further how TMAO was linked to the condition.
They found that mice fed a diet that triggered higher levels of TMAO developed atrial fibrillation sooner than those on a normal diet.
Mice given extra choline also developed the condition earlier.
The researchers said future treatments could work by stopping gut bacteria from turning choline into TMAO.
In mice, an experimental drug named iodomethylcholine that worked this way delayed atrial fibrillation from occurring.
However, the drug has not yet been tested on people.
Authors said their findings also provided further evidence of heart health being linked to the gut.
‘These data represent a novel link between the gut microbiome and [atrial fibrillation],’ they said.
Diagnoses of atrial fibrillation jumped by 50 per cent in Britain between 2013 and 2023, the BHF said.
The charity also estimated that 270,000 people in the UK may have the condition without knowing it.
A separate Danish study, published in the British Medical Journal in 2024, also found that around 40 per cent of people with atrial fibrillation are likely to develop heart failure during their lifetime.
By comparison, the researchers estimated that around 20 per cent would experience a stroke.
Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump blood around the body effectively.
It is one of several cardiovascular diseases, which collectively kill around 170,000 people in the UK each year.
Alongside an irregular or rapid heartbeat, symptoms of atrial fibrillation can include feeling extremely tired and suffering with chest pains.
People with the condition may also find it harder to exercise alongside having a shortness of breath or feeling faint.
The NHS urges anyone who believes they may have the condition to see a GP.
