Have you ever tried to be vegetarian but found it too difficult to stop eating meat? Your genes could be partly to blame, a new study suggests.
The research, published [October 4] in the journal PLOS ONE, identified a set of genes associated with people who adhered to a vegetarian diet for at least a year.
The study analyzed data from approximately 5,300 vegetarians and 329,000 meat-eaters, and identified three genes that are significantly linked to the choice of a vegetarian lifestyle. All three are located on a chromosome that has genes involved in brain function and lipid metabolism — the process in which fats are broken down for energy.
The results also pointed to 31 other genes associated with vegetarianism as well, though more weakly. Several of those genes play a role in lipid metabolism too.
“We are hypothesizing that maybe one’s ability to adhere to a vegetarian diet may have something to do with how they deal with fats in their body and how that affects brain function,” Yaseen said.
However, he added that the study simply highlights a genetic connection and does not assert that particular genes directly cause people to prefer a vegetarian diet.
