A team of Northwestern University researchers in the US has conducted a study that demonstrates that vegetarians could produce the fats that carnivores only assimilate from food.
Vegetarian food PHOTO: Archive
After examining 330,000 genomes, researchers identified genes in vegetarians that could explain why they choose a plant-based diet.
According to Euronews, a team of researchers has discovered evidence showing that opting for a plant-based diet could actually be influenced by our genetics.
The team led by Nabeel Yaseen, professor of pathology at Northwestern University in the US, analyzed the UK Biobank, a large-scale biomedical database. They compared the genomes of 5,324 strict vegetarians with 329,455 non-vegetarians aged 40 to 69.
“We identified three genes that are significantly associated with vegetarianism, as well as 31 other genes that are possibly associated with vegetarianism”Yaseen told Euronews Next.
The team’s findings were published in PLoS ONE.
“The mechanisms by which genetic variants influence food choices involve an interplay between metabolism, physiological effects, and taste perception. Enjoyment and consumption levels of dietary items are influenced by taste perceptioni”, it is mentioned in the cited study.
By studying the functions of some of these genes, we can hypothesize that fat metabolism and its effects on brain function may play a role, says the specialist.
“At the moment, we can only speculate: meat contains certain fatty components that vegetarians can synthesize endogenously, while others must introduce them through a meat-containing diet. (…)“We hope our study will stimulate further research into the genetics and physiology of vegetarians. This knowledge could provide us with personalized dietary guidance in the future. And, perhaps, it will lead to the production of more effective meat substitutes.” Yassen explained.
