Lots of factors, such as taste preferences, budgets, and culture, influence our food choices. Recent research suggests that genetics might also have a hand in determining our dietary preferences.
People choose vegetarianism for various reasons, including ethics, religion, and potential health and environmental benefits. However, many individuals struggle to maintain a vegetarian diet and end up consuming animal products. Dr. Nabeel Yaseen of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and his team wanted to investigate if genetics could be a contributing factor.
The researchers analyzed the DNA of around 330,000 individuals, including 5,324 vegetarians, using data from the UK Biobank initiative. They identified 34 genes that might be related to adhering to a strict vegetarian diet and found three genes that had a stronger connection. The study, published in the peer-reviewed science journal PLOS ONE, suggests that vegetarians may possess specific gene variants that make it easier for them to follow this diet:
“What we can say is that these genes have something to do with vegetarianism,” explains Dr. Yaseen. “Perhaps vegetarians have different variants of these genes that make them able to pursue a strict vegetarian diet.”
However, understanding the genetic role in dietary preferences is not a straightforward task. Human genes consist of thousands of variations known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). To identify SNPs associated with vegetarianism, Dr. Yaseen and his team conducted a genome-wide association study. They examined the genes surrounding each identified SNP.
Two of the three genes associated with vegetarianism, NPC1 and RMC1, have significant roles in lipid metabolism. While the study cannot precisely explain how genetic differences may shape vegetarians, Dr. Yaseen speculates that some people may require specific lipid nutrients found in meat, while others do not.
The study’s findings are limited to white Caucasian participants, and Dr. Yaseen acknowledges that ethnicity is a confounding factor. Including individuals from regions where vegetarianism is more prevalent, such as India, could reveal genes or SNPs associated with ethnicity rather than vegetarianism.
Christopher Gardner, a food scientist at Stanford University, finds the idea that genetic predisposition may make it easier for some individuals to follow a vegetarian diet fascinating. He emphasizes that people do not have to completely eliminate meat to experience health and environmental benefits. Decreasing meat consumption can still have a significant positive impact.
In conclusion, while the study sheds light on the potential genetic influence on vegetarianism, further research is necessary to identify critical genes and variants involved in dietary preferences.
This article was edited by Jane Greenhalgh.
