American Meat Institute (AMI) issued a statement in response to a recent study linking consumption of L-carnitine found in red meat to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. AMI called cardiovascular disease a complex condition, saying, “Attempts to link cardiovascular disease to a single compound that is found at safe levels in red meat oversimplifies this complex disease.” It also cited National Institute of Health’s fact sheet on L-carnitine, which says the amino acid plays a critical role in energy production.