# "Your body does not really digest meat. It only uses the fat & the meat rots in your system" T or F? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122 "2013-01-05T01:00:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122/61 "2013-01-12T17:42:46Z")
Heh. Sort of but the meat fart bit more likely has to do with the original thesis of the op. Some amino acids from meat get into the large intestine and are indeed fermented by colonic bacteria. (Which is where a fair amount of the urea comes from.) Cysteine and methionine are amino acids present in meat which contain sulfer and a large meal of meat will deliver a sizable load of those amino acids to the gut where they will get fermented by sulfer-reducing bacteria, producing hydrogen sulfide, famous as the rotten egg smell. How much that occurs probably has something to do with your individual microbiota which has something to do with your regular diet over time. Skatole (an indole) is also a by-product of amino acid fermentation (from tryptophan) and allegedly stinks even more horribly. Likely there are other malodorous products of colonic meat protein fermentation as well. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122/62 "2013-01-12T17:46:40Z")
Thanks. I’ll remember to say that on the bus. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122/63 "2013-01-12T18:51:54Z")
> [@astro](#): > > If that is so why is human saliva such an effective dissolver of bloodstains which are mainly proteins. Assuming your saliva is clean you can literally suck a fresh small bloodstain right off white clothing with no trace left behind if you spit on it and work it with your teeth for a second. Cold water works great for fresh blood stains (even if somewhat dried). Hot water cooks the blood. If saliva works better, that’s news to me, but I haven’t tried it. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122/64 "2013-01-13T01:19:22Z")
It’s all utter tripe. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2013, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122/65 "2013-01-13T02:10:06Z")
They say seltzer (or club soda) works, but I have no idea why. ---
**Author:** ![ATDM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@ATDM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ATDM)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122/66 "2013-08-15T02:12:41Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [I was reading about all things poop](http://ichoosethin.com/thinblog/poop-and-you-were-afraid-to-ask/)when this claim popped up. I thought the body got fat and protein from meat not just fat. > > Is this claim true or false? As a physician, I can assure you that pretty much everything in this statement is wrong. It is a myth perpetrated by ideologues, who politicized vegetarianism. It is the beans, grains and vegetables that rot in our gastrointestinal tract (hence, the side effects of eating those things). Our bodies are much better equipped to digest meat than anything grown. That’s why no one should make statements made by others (especially, ideological fanatics) without proper research and understanding. Blind repetition is what perpetuated this myth, and many keep repeating it without realizing how ignorant they sound to professionals. That is not to say that we should stay away from vegetables. We should eat well balanced meals. Eating too much meant can be harmful just as eating too much vegetables. As to the fat, excess of proteins and carbs gets converted into fat (as well as unused fat itself). When a person suffers from certain medical conditions, he or she should follow a vegetarian diet. However, healthy people should eat meat, dairy, vegetables, etc. Beware of the fringe fanatics on both sides, especially — the militant vegans and vegetarians. Trust me, protection of your health is the last thing on their mind, but it should be one of the first things on yours. MEAT DOES NOT ROT in a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Period. And that IS the truth. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122/67 "2013-08-15T02:19:50Z")
> [@ATDM](#): > > … MEAT DOES NOT ROT in a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Period. And that IS the truth. (Must resist asking if being a zombie stops flesh from rotting …) ATDM, if you are going to reanimate a thread this old then at least read the whole thing. To be precise _some_ small portion of meat DOES rot in a healthy gastrointestinal tract. As noted in the post two above yours, some amino acids to get into the colon and are indeed “rotted” (aka fermented) by colinic bacteria contributing significantly to stinky farts in those with the “right” microbiota. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122/68 "2013-08-15T03:50:44Z")
> [@ATDM](#): > > As a physician, I can assure you that pretty much everything in this statement is wrong. It is a myth perpetrated by ideologues, who politicized vegetarianism. It is the beans, grains and vegetables that rot in our gastrointestinal tract (hence, the side effects of eating those things). Our bodies are much better equipped to digest meat than anything grown. That’s why no one should make statements made by others (especially, ideological fanatics) without proper research and understanding. Blind repetition is what perpetuated this myth, and many keep repeating it without realizing how ignorant they sound to professionals. That is not to say that we should stay away from vegetables. We should eat well balanced meals. Eating too much meant can be harmful just as eating too much vegetables. As to the fat, excess of proteins and carbs gets converted into fat (as well as unused fat itself). When a person suffers from certain medical conditions, he or she should follow a vegetarian diet. However, healthy people should eat meat, dairy, vegetables, etc. Beware of the fringe fanatics on both sides, especially — the militant vegans and vegetarians. Trust me, protection of your health is the last thing on their mind, but it should be one of the first things on yours. MEAT DOES NOT ROT in a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Period. And that IS the truth. Thanks Doc, and welcome to the SDMB! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-body-does-not-really-digest-meat-it-only-uses-the-fat-the-meat-rots-in-your-system-t-or-f/646122.md?page=3)