Science discovers why some people prefer vegetarian food to meat eating

There is a lot of scientific evidence that shows the health benefits of vegetarianism. As long as it provides the body with enough nutrients, a vegetarian diet will help control weight, prevent heart disease and many other chronic diseases, according to the health website Healthline (USA).

Liking vegetarianism may be influenced by genetic factors.

But in reality, there are people who love vegetarianism and do not like to eat meat. A recent study from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University (USA) has given a new explanation for this.

The study was led by Dr. Nabeel Yaseen. He and his colleagues analyzed data from more than 5,300 vegetarians and nearly 329,500 meat-eaters. The data came from the UK Biobank, a biomedical database and medical research resource. Vegetarians are defined as people who do not eat fish, poultry, or red meat such as pork, beef, or goat.

When comparing genetic factors, the team found three genes that clearly influenced a person's preference for vegetarianism, and 31 genes that were highly likely to have a similar effect. The team called these genes "vegetarian genes."

Vegetarians are more likely to have these genes than meat eaters, especially four gene variants including TMEM241, RIOK3, NPC1 and RMC1. Many meat eaters do not have these gene variants.

To explain this phenomenon, the research team believes that genes may affect the way the body breaks down fat, or lipid metabolism. Different enzymes are needed to break down plant foods or animal meat. The enzymes are regulated by genes.

Therefore, people with vegetarian genes will have enzymes that are better at breaking down plant foods than animal foods, and vice versa. Therefore, the hypothesis is that food preferences will depend on which type of fat the body is better at breaking down.

Scientists believe that more research is needed to clarify this phenomenon. However, research also shows that in addition to cultural, ethical, environmental or health factors, genetic factors also affect a person's diet, according to Healthline .

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