Cooked meat bacteria endotoxemia- Inflammation and diet
Are humans omnivores in a true anatomical sense? There is a fundamental difference in the way the digestive tract works in plant vs meat-eating species.
Milos Pokimica
Written By: Milos Pokimica
Medically Reviewed by: Dr. Xiùying Wáng, M.D.
Updated June 9, 2023The emerging role of chronic inflammation in modern society’s major chronic diseases has sparked research into the impact of nutrition and dietary patterns on inflammatory status. The majority of human studies have linked dietary intake to systemic inflammation markers such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-).
Significant dietary influences have been established for glycemic index (GI) and load (GL), fiber, fatty acid composition, magnesium, carotenoids, and flavonoids. Whole food plant-based diet or even a traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern, which typically has a high ratio of monounsaturated (MUFA) to saturated (SFA) fats and ω-3 to ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) and supplies an abundance of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains, has shown anti-inflammatory effects when compared with typical North American and Northern European dietary patterns in most observational and interventional studies. There is a wide range of factors that influence inflammation caused by diet but a whole food antioxidant-rich, nutrient-rich diet may become the diet of choice for diminishing chronic inflammation in clinical practice.
Prolonged low-grade inflammation is linked to increased oxidative stress and altered glucose and lipid metabolism in fat (adipose) cells, muscle, and the liver. As a result, research indicates that certain dietary components can influence these key inflammatory pathways.
One of the factors that creates inflammation spikes after animal product consumption is a process known as endotoxemia. `Diet-induced metabolic endotoxemia has been proposed as a major root cause of inflammation, and these pathways appear to be detrimental to healthy aging.
We as humans, unlike carnivores species, have very low resistance filters meaning any live bacteria we eat will be creating inflammation, and diet can kill us if bacteria is dangerous. We cannot eat uncooked meat. Carnivorous animals have extremely corrosive bile acids that are able to kill any living microorganism and their digestive system is practically sterile. We as any other plant eater have mild bile acid and low resistance filters and have to cook meat and any other food item that has the potential to spread an infectious disease. For example, pasteurization is mandatory.
What people don’t understand is that even if we do cook meat we do not magically dematerialize all of the bacteria that were present in there. We only kill them by heat but they are still in there. Microorganisms are still in the meat just dead. They will not pose any risk of infection anymore.
But that does not mean that they don’t pose a risk anymore.
Even dead non-probiotic bacteria do count as toxins.
Some of the world’s most toxic substances are these dead meat bacteria endotoxins.
These substances known as endotoxins (Greek éndon within; cognate with Old Irish ind-) are thermally (250C) and chemically stable and extremely toxic. Endotoxin is a complex lipopolysaccharide (LPS) found in the outer cell membrane of gram-negative bacteria (E.coli, Salmonella typhi, Shigella).
Bacteria shed endotoxins in large amounts upon cell death creating an endotoxemia state in the body. Meaning, the bacteria can be dead or cooked for a long time, but their endotoxins are still there. Endotoxins are chemically very stable and can withstand our body’s best attempts at acid and enzyme degradation. One of the leading causes of hundreds of studies that display enlarged inflammation from animal foods, but not from most plant foods, maybe is a consequence of a toxic load of dead bacteria endotoxins in animal products. These bacteria shed endotoxins after death and then when we eat them they are absorbed into our system, leading to the endotoxemia inflammation we see after egg, meat, and dairy consumption, as well.
This would cause damage to our internal organs and the entire body and will increase the chances of chronic diseases (Ghosh et al., 1993).
If we already have an autoimmune disease such as atherosclerosis, for example, this will just agitate our immune system even worse and would create even more of an immune response (Stoll et al., 2004).
Here is one study that discovered a link between endotoxin exposure and diabetes type 2 (Harte et al., 2012).
What a low level of chronic endotoxemia inflammation does is that it causes damage like any other inflammation just in a prolonged period. What that translates to is faster and more noticeable DNA damage, a higher mortality rate from chronic diseases, and decreased longevity.
In contrast, plant foods do not show this trait, and actual consumption is correlated with the anti-inflammatory reaction after a meal because of the antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory phytochemicals. It would be interesting to see how much inflammation meat consumption causes in carnivorous species. So far I was unable to find research that looks into dead meat bacteria endotoxemia exposure in carnivorous species. This could be potentially interesting because if meat causes no inflammation in carnivorous animals, we might look at a way how to lower the same inflammation in our own bodies.
Consumption of meat, therefore, is associated with an increase in inflammation even if we disregard the risk of live infectious bacteria. This mechanism is natural and normal, and all of the carnivorous species had it to some extent but are more adept at coping with it.
A fresh hamburger contains approximately a hundred million bacteria per quarter pounder. Eating meals high in bacterial endotoxins could develop mild but systemic inflammatory episodes that predispose subjects to the development of chronic diseases.
The animal fat that comes in the same package may play a role in the pathogenesis of this after-meal inflammation. Endotoxins hold a powerful attraction for saturated fat, so they stick to it and then get absorbed through the gut wall and into the bloodstream (Erridge, 2011).
Would this happen if we eat food that is high in saturated fat from plant origin? It would, but the difference is that there are no high levels of these toxins in plant-based foods. For example, cocoa has a high fat content. It is one of the plants that has energy stored in a form of saturated fat, the same fat that is found in the animal kingdom. But cocoa also has a large number of antioxidants and in studies always decreases the level of C-reactive protein in subjects (a marker for inflammation) (Erridge et al., 2007), (Herieka et al., 2014).
The high antioxidant content of cocoa prevails and is able to neutralize the pro-inflammatory effects of endotoxins that are not present in the plants in high numbers, to begin with (Gu et al., 2014).
The problem with meat is a high concentration of bacteria. This means that eating a standard Western diet rich in animal protein and refined sugar and fat will require a much higher level of antioxidants to negate the bad pro-inflammatory effects.
The question will be where can we use these findings and can we diminish the bed proinflammatory effects of high animal protein meals with antioxidant-rich food. In other words, can we still eat meat but also add some high-antioxidant vegetables or fruits to the same meal to avoid the risk (Burton-Freeman, 2010).
There was a large number of studies done on a topic and the conclusion is yes, we can, but only to some extent. Avoidance of toxin exposure is our primary goal. If you really have to eat animal products then at least incorporate an adequate amount of anti-inflammatory food sources and calculate your optimal ORAC (Oxygen radical absorbance capacity) intake. You can find ORAC values here (ORAC Values). This would not completely negate the toxicity of dead meat bacteria endotoxemia exposure. These toxins are very potent and hard to detoxify. There are genetically susceptible individuals that have a harder time detoxifying these compounds. Antioxidant-rich food will lower the risk to a relevant degree and my advice is to optimize the antioxidant intake.
The best course of action would be to have a whole food plant-based diet that has an optimal level of ORAC units and a wide range of proinflammatory food sources with an adequate level of all essential micronutrients.
This is what the British Journal of Nutrition has to say about it.
“Postprandial (fed) state is a pro-oxidant state. The postprandial period is a time of active oxidative metabolism and formation of ROS (free radicals). There is increasing evidence that the postprandial state is an important contributing factor to chronic disease. Two main questions are posed: first, what is the role of plant foods, specifically fruits rich in complex and simple phenolic compounds in postprandial metabolic management; and second, does the evidence support consuming these fruits with meals as a practical strategy to preserve health and lower risk for disease? The collected data suggest that consuming phenolic-rich fruits increases the antioxidant capacity of the blood, and when they are consumed with high fat and carbohydrate ‘pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory’ meals, they may counterbalance their negative effects. Given the content and availability of fat and carbohydrate in the Western diet, regular consumption of phenolic-rich foods, particularly in conjunction with meals, appears to be a prudent strategy to maintain oxidative balance and health.“
References:
- Ghosh, S., Latimer, R. D., Gray, B. M., Harwood, R. J., & Oduro, A. (1993). Endotoxin-induced organ injury. Critical care medicine, 21(2 Suppl), S19–S24. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003246-199302001-00005
- Stoll, L. L., Denning, G. M., & Weintraub, N. L. (2004). Potential role of endotoxin as a proinflammatory mediator of atherosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, 24(12), 2227–2236. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.ATV.0000147534.69062.dc
- Harte, A. L., Varma, M. C., Tripathi, G., McGee, K. C., Al-Daghri, N. M., Al-Attas, O. S., Sabico, S., O’Hare, J. P., Ceriello, A., Saravanan, P., Kumar, S., & McTernan, P. G. (2012). High fat intake leads to acute postprandial exposure to circulating endotoxin in type 2 diabetic subjects. Diabetes care, 35(2), 375–382. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc11-1593
- Erridge C. (2011). The capacity of foodstuffs to induce innate immune activation of human monocytes in vitro is dependent on food content of stimulants of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4. The British journal of nutrition, 105(1), 15–23. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114510003004
- Erridge, C., Attina, T., Spickett, C. M., & Webb, D. J. (2007). A high-fat meal induces low-grade endotoxemia: evidence of a novel mechanism of postprandial inflammation. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 86(5), 1286–1292. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/86.5.1286
- Herieka, M., & Erridge, C. (2014). High-fat meal induced postprandial inflammation. Molecular nutrition & food research, 58(1), 136–146. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201300104
- Gu, Y., Yu, S., Park, J. Y., Harvatine, K., & Lambert, J. D. (2014). Dietary cocoa reduces metabolic endotoxemia and adipose tissue inflammation in high-fat fed mice. The Journal of nutritional biochemistry, 25(4), 439–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2013.12.004
- Burton-Freeman B. (2010). Postprandial metabolic events and fruit-derived phenolics: a review of the science. The British journal of nutrition, 104 Suppl 3, S1–S14. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114510003909
Related Posts
Do you have any questions about nutrition and health?
I would love to hear from you and answer them in my next post. I appreciate your input and opinion and I look forward to hearing from you soon. I also invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more diet, nutrition, and health content. You can leave a comment there and connect with other health enthusiasts, share your tips and experiences, and get support and encouragement from our team and community.
I hope that this post was informative and enjoyable for you and that you are prepared to apply the insights you learned. If you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends and family who might also benefit from it. You never know who might need some guidance and support on their health journey.
– You Might Also Like –

Learn About Nutrition
Milos Pokimica is a doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, medical health and nutrition writer, and nutritional science advisor. Author of the book series Go Vegan? Review of Science, he also operates the natural health website GoVeganWay.com
Medical Disclaimer
GoVeganWay.com brings you reviews of the latest nutrition and health-related research. The information provided represents the personal opinion of the author and is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information provided is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for the consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment of a qualified physician or healthcare provider.NEVER DISREGARD PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE OR DELAY SEEKING MEDICAL TREATMENT BECAUSE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH GoVeganWay.com
NEVER APPLY ANY LIFESTYLE CHANGES OR ANY CHANGES AT ALL AS A CONSEQUENCE OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE READ IN GoVeganWay.com BEFORE CONSULTING LICENCED MEDICAL PRACTITIONER.
In the event of a medical emergency, call a doctor or 911 immediately. GoVeganWay.com does not recommend or endorse any specific groups, organizations, tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned inside.
Editor Picks –
Milos Pokimica is a doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, medical health and nutrition writer, and nutritional science advisor. Author of the book series Go Vegan? Review of Science, he also operates the natural health website GoVeganWay.com
Latest Articles –
Plant Based News
-
George Monbiot Debunks Animal Farming Reports Linked To McDonald’s And King Charles
on May 13, 2025
-
Cozy Up With This Vegan Chicken And Dumplings Recipe
on May 13, 2025
-
Caramelized Shallot And Wild Mushroom Pizza
on May 13, 2025
-
Vegan Nutella ‘Spotted In UK Supermarket’
on May 13, 2025
-
Kid-Approved Vegan Packed Lunches (That Adults Will Love Too!)
on May 13, 2025
-
Tofu And Apple Skewers
on May 12, 2025
-
11 Savory Vegan Peanut Butter Recipes
on May 12, 2025
Top Health News — ScienceDaily
- Eldercare robot helps people sit and stand, and catches them if they fallon May 13, 2025
Engineers built E-BAR, a mobile robot designed to physically support the elderly and prevent them from falling as they move around their homes. E-BAR acts as a set of robotic handlebars that follows a person from behind, allowing them to walk independently or lean on the robot’s arms for support.
- Mapping a new brain network for namingon May 13, 2025
Researchers identified two brain networks involved in word retrieval — the cognitive process of accessing words we need to speak. A semantic network processes meaning in middle/inferior frontal gyri, while an articulatory network in inferior frontal/precentral gyri plans speech production.
- Hormone cycles shape the structure and function of key memory regions in the brainon May 13, 2025
Hormone levels fluctuate like the tides, ebbing and flowing according to carefully orchestrated cycles. These hormones not only influence the body, but can cross into the brain and shape the behavior of our neurons and cognitive processes. Recently, researchers used modern laser microscopy techniques to observe how fluctuations in ovarian hormones shape both the structure and function of neurons in the mouse hippocampus, a brain region crucial for memory formation and spatial learning in […]
- Higher success rate using a simple oral swab test before IVFon May 13, 2025
Researchers have conducted a clinical study to show how a woman’s genetic profile provides information on which hormone treatment is most effective for in vitro fertilization (IVF). The researchers have now developed a simple oral swab test that shows which hormone therapy is the best option for IVF treatment.
- Seek medical advice before attempting water-only fasting diets, experts warnon May 13, 2025
Experts are urging people, especially those with existing heart or vascular conditions, to seek medical advice before attempting to lose weight using water-only fasting diets.
- New survey shows privacy and safety tops list of parental concerns about screen timeon May 13, 2025
As kids spend more time on screens, a new national survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of The Kids Mental Health Foundation, founded by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, identifies parents’ greatest fears for their children around screen time.
- New light shed on health differences between males and femaleson May 13, 2025
The results of an international study shed new light the underlying biological mechanisms which cause differences in health risks, symptoms and outcomes between males and females.
PubMed, #vegan-diet –
- Effects of nutritional counseling on dietary patterns in patients with mild cognitive impairment: insights from the BrainFit-Nutrition studyon May 13, 2025
INTRODUCTION: This study examines the effects of a structured nutritional counseling intervention for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) via synchronized online courses conducted bi-weekly over six months.
- Scoring Adherence to Voluntary Restriction Diets (SAVoReD) in the ADAPT Studyon May 9, 2025
Voluntary adoption of popular food-group-restricting diets like Paleo and plant-based diets (PBDs) are often health-motivated. However, unlike the theoretical design of these diets, different levels of dietary adherence may result in different diet quality and bodyweight in real-world settings-a limitation to the efficacy of dietary interventions. Scoring Adherence to Voluntary Restriction Diets (SAVoReD) is a metric to quantify and compare adherence across food-group-restricting diets. We…
- Risk of hypothyroidism in meat-eaters, fish-eaters, and vegetarians: a population-based prospective studyon May 7, 2025
CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we found a moderately higher risk of hypothyroidism among vegetarians, after controlling for BMI, a potential collider. This slightly higher risk of hypothyroidism among vegetarians requires further investigation, taking iodine status and thyroid hormone levels into account.
- Dietary Adaptation of Non-Heme Iron Absorption in Vegans: A Controlled Trialon May 5, 2025
Non-heme iron, mainly from plant foods, is theoretically less bioavailable than heme iron from animal food, which might increase the risk of iron deficiency in vegans. This study aimed to evaluate acute changes in plasma iron levels following non-heme iron intake in vegans compared with omnivores and to explore the mechanisms regulating these changes. Twenty-seven participants (18-30 years old) were divided into vegans and omnivores. After baseline measurements (body composition, blood […]
- Body and Fitness-related Shame Helps Explain the Association Between Internalized Weight Bias and Orthorexia Symptoms among North American Female Yoga Professionalson April 30, 2025
CONCLUSIONS: Findings contribute to the growing scholarship recognizing orthorexia’s links with harmful diet culture among yoga professionals potentially reflecting: 1) regulating internal body- and fitness-related shame stemming from IWB and 2) perceptions of modeling “positive” body image for students and clients who may be at risk. Results call for increased collaborative outreach efforts to identify appropriate interventions to effectively target these public health concerns within the…
Random Posts –
Featured Posts –

Latest from PubMed, #plant-based diet –
- Plant proteins and peptides as key contributors to good health: A focus on pulsesby Ivan Luzardo-Ocampo on May 13, 2025
The growing interest of the public in healthy food products with adequate nutritional quality has triggered a search for novel sources of protein. This review discusses scientific evidence on the available sources, processing, and biological properties of plant-based protein and bioactive peptides, with a particular emphasis on pulses, as these are some of the most important sources of protein and peptides displaying a wide range of health benefits. Processing plant-based proteins and derived…
- Effects of nutritional counseling on dietary patterns in patients with mild cognitive impairment: insights from the BrainFit-Nutrition studyby Etienne Hanslian on May 13, 2025
INTRODUCTION: This study examines the effects of a structured nutritional counseling intervention for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) via synchronized online courses conducted bi-weekly over six months.
- Association Between Plant-Based Diet and Continuous Glucose Monitoring-Derived Glycemic Dynamics Among Pregnant Women With Gestational Diabetesby Meng Ye on May 13, 2025
We aim to investigate the association of plant-based diets with the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-derived glycemic metrics among gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patients. We included 1756 GDM patients in the present analyses and assessed plant-based dietary patterns through constructing a plant-based diet index (PDI), healthy PDI (hPDI), and unhealthy PDI (uPDI). CGM-glycemic metrics, such as time in range (TIR), mean blood glucose (MBG), time below range (TBR), low blood glucose […]
- Application of Plant-Based Proteins in the Development of Fish and Meat Analogues Productsby Abdul Rahaman on May 13, 2025
Consumer preferences are shifting from traditional animal-derived meat products to plant-based alternatives, which fulfill the demand for protein and the growing need for nutritious, sustainable food. The innovative plant-based meals offer textures, flavors, and cooking properties similar to traditional meat and fish, making them a popular choice for those seeking a more sustainable diet. Many cereals and non-cereal-based proteins, including soy, wheat, rice, and corn, are well suited to…
- Metagenomic and phylogenetic analyses reveal gene-level selection constrained by bacterial phylogeny, surrounding oxalate metabolism in the gut microbiotaby Sromona D Mukherjee on May 13, 2025
The gut microbiota is critical for neutralizing dietary toxins. Oxalate is a toxin commonly produced by plants to deter herbivory and is widely consumed in the human diet. Excess levels of systemic or urinary oxalate increase risk of multiple urologic and cardiometabolic diseases. The current study employed multiple amplicon-based and shotgun metagenomic methodologies, alongside comparative phylogenetic analyses, to interrogate evolutionary radiation surrounding microbial oxalate degradation…
- Medical Nutrition Therapy in Dermatological Diseases: A Joint Consensus Statement of the Italian Association of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition (ADI), the Italian Society of Dermatology and Sexually…by Luigi Barrea on May 13, 2025
Dermatological diseases such as acne, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), and psoriasis are driven by chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Emerging evidence highlights the role of nutrition in modulating these conditions, particularly through dietary patterns rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, and unsaturated fatty acids. RECENT FINDINGS: The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) has demonstrated potential benefits due to its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, while very low-energy…