Vegetarianism May Be In The Genes, Study Finds: NPR 🥕🥦

[appalachiablue]

- NPR, Oct. 5, 2023. - Ed.

People are motivated to try a vegetarian diet for different reasons – from ethical and religious, to potential health and environmental benefits. But many people have a hard time sticking with it. In fact studies show many self-reported vegetarians actually do consume some animal products.

"A lot of people who want to be vegetarian are perhaps not able to," says Dr. Nabeel Yaseen, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "We wanted to know if genetics is part of the reason," he says. Yaseen and his collaborators compared the DNA of about 330,000 people, using data from the UK Biobank initiative.

The study included 5,324 vegetarians, who had not eaten any animal flesh or products derived from animal flesh for at least one year.

They found 34 genes that may play a role in adhering to a strict vegetarian diet. And they identified 3 genes that are more tightly linked to the trait. "What we can say is that these genes have something to do with vegetarianism," Yaseen says. "Perhaps vegetarians have different variants of these genes that make them able to pursue a strict vegetarian diet," he explains. The study is published in PLOS ONE, a peer-reviewed science journal.

Deciphering the genetic role is not exactly an easy riddle to solve. Humans have thousands of genes and there are millions of tiny variations in DNA building blocks, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs,) where you can see differences between individuals.. Lots of factors influence what we eat, everything from our taste preferences, to our budgets to our culture. So, the idea that food choice is also influenced by genetics is not surprising, Yaseen says...

- More, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/10/05/1203601131/vegetarianism-vegetarian-genes-diet-meat-genetics

[MLAA]

1. Interesting. Thanks for posting.

I’ve been vegetarian for about 15 years and vegan about 10. Once I decided to do it it wasn’t very hard. Deciding to do it took a while.

[BComplex]

2. About time someone figured this out!!!

We can definitely reduce our consumption of animal products, however!!!

[Freethinker65]

3. I can believe it. Both my sister and I were vegetarians for years (she more years than I).

Both of us returned to adding meat to our diets and feel better physically/mentally in doing so.


FYI: by "mentally", I mean less brain fog and better concentration...not that I am never torn by the ethics involved in my diet choices.

[appalachiablue]

6. I've been vegetarian pretty much for years, naturally without much

effort. I was never that fond of meat since childhood and could take it or leave it, unlike a couple other family members who are near carnivores. The ethics of meat production and the environmental impacts also influenced my food choices.

Only after reading more and a doctor mentioning impt. elements in meat and protein I started adding it to my diet, primarily fish.

[Elessar Zappa]

4. I couldn't do vegetarianism.

I ate a balanced diet like they said with plenty of calories but I always felt weak and drained. On the other hand, my friend became a vegan and said he feels better than ever. So I can see it being genetic.

[appalachiablue]

8. I know people like this, different needs. It certainly could be related to genetics.

[Ritabert]

5. We went vegetarian 25 years ago

.....after driving by that huge feedlot on I-5 near Coalinga CA. The stench was incredible and the cows looked stressed. We've never regretted it and have no intention of eating meat again.

[appalachiablue]

7. I hear you, saw this in documentaries and read about it. No can do.

[Warpy]

9. Not surprising, some people feel like shit when they eat meat

and some people feel like shit when they don't eat it. One size doesn't fit all and with lone star ticks increasing their range and making more people allergic to mammal meat, it's time to dispense with the silly evangelism on both sides.

Studies of Neanderthal groups and sewers in Herculaneum have demonstrated the same range of individual diets, although there's no evidence from either that anyone made a big deal over what another adult chose to eat when choices were available.