Using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found a link between sensitivity to an allergen in red meat and plaque buildup in the heart's arteries, according to a study published online June 14 in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
Only recently have scientists identified the main allergen in red meat, called galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, or alpha-Gal, wrote a team led by Dr. Coleen McNamara from the University of Virginia Health System. It's also been discovered that the lone star tick, found predominately in the southeastern U.S., sensitizes people to this allergen when it bites them, boosting the incidence of meat allergies in this area.
Researchers have suspected for some time that allergens can trigger immunological changes that may be associated with plaque buildup and artery blockages. In their study, McNamara and colleagues showed that a type of antibody (immunoglobulin) specific to the alpha-Gal allergen was associated with higher levels of arterial plaque.
The investigators analyzed blood samples from 118 adults and found antibodies to alpha-Gal in 26%. Next, they used intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to analyze the quantity of plaque in the blood samples. The amount was 30% higher in the alpha-Gal-sensitized patients than in the nonsensitized patients.
Cross-sectional IVUS images of coronary arteries. Plaque buildup (colored areas) in an artery from a patient who lacks sensitivity to the red meat allergen (left) is much lower than plaque levels in an artery from a patient with sensitivity to the allergen (right). Images courtesy of Dr. Angela Taylor of the University of Virginia Health System."This novel finding from a small group of subjects from Virginia raises the intriguing possibility that allergy to red meat may be an underrecognized factor in heart disease," McNamara said in a statement released by the NIH. "These preliminary findings underscore the need for further clinical studies in larger populations from diverse geographic regions and additional laboratory work."
![Examples of ultrasound findings and techniques. (A) Images in a 39-year-old male patient with a mass in the left thigh. The mass is heterogeneous on the B-mode US image (compared with the patient in D) and showed increased microvascularity (superb microvascular imaging [SMI]) and shear-wave elastography (SWE) values. Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy (with pleomorphic rhabdomyosarcoma in surgical specimen). (B) Images in an 18-year-old male patient with a mass in the left leg. The mass is hypoechoic on the B-mode image, with no other findings suggestive of malignancy. The lesion is in contact with the cortex of the tibia, which is slightly irregular. CT revealed a doubtful anteromedial tibial erosion. The microvascular study demonstrated high vascularization, suggestive of malignancy. Periosteal Ewing sarcoma was diagnosed with both histologic and immunohistochemical confirmation. (C) Images in a 69-year-old female patient with a lump growing on the outside of the left leg. Multiple SWE examinations were performed (please note the high values obtained in the measurements, whereas the color map highlights the stiffness relative to adjacent tissues). SMI showed areas of increased vascularization to target for sampling. Undifferentiated spindle cell sarcoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with residual leiomyosarcoma in the surgical specimen after neoadjuvant therapy. (D) Images in a 56-year-old female patient with a mass in the right thigh. The mass is heterogeneous at both B-mode ultrasound (similar to patient A) and MRI (coronal T2-weighted spectral attenuated inversion recovery [SPAIR]; T1-weighted pre-contrast and postcontrast imaging), which even shows uptake after the administration of paramagnetic contrast material, which is traditionally suggestive of malignancy. Low values at SMI and elastography are suggestive of benignity. Spindle cell lipoma was diagnosed at biopsy, with atypical spindle cell lipomatous tumor in the surgical specimen.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/08/images-radiol250278fig2.APCFLSvX6p.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
