Thinking of a Switch Away from Meat? Your Genes May Be Key

Key Takeaways

• Genetics play a role in whether a vegetarian diet will benefit a person

• Genetic variants can cause the body to respond in unpredictable ways to a plant-based diet

• For example, calcium and testosterone levels might increase for some, even though they typically decline in vegetarians

MONDAY, July 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Pondering a move to a vegetarian or vegan diet? Your heart might be in it, but your genes might not, a new study says.

Genetics are an important part of whether a person responds well or poorly to a vegetarian diet, researchers said.

People with a specific genetic variant can see increased calcium levels after going vegetarian, which typically results in decreased calcium for most, researchers report in the journal PLOS Genetics .

Likewise, another variant saw increased testosterone levels, which typically decline in a majority of vegetarians, researchers said.

But a third variant could cause vegetarians to suffer a decline in kidney function, which usually improves on a plant-based diet, researchers said.

“People with specific and immediate nutritional requirements related to these three traits should consider being tested for the variants we describe in this manuscript and making changes accordingly,” lead researcher Michael Francis , a doctoral graduate of the University of Georgia’s Institute of Bioinformatics, said in a news release.

Francis himself was a vegetarian for seven years in his teens and 20s, but now eats meat as part of his diet.

For the study, researchers analyzed data for more than 150,000 people, identifying 2,300 who followed a strict vegetarian diet.

They found that in general vegetarians have low levels of cholesterol, which is good for heart health.

But a vegetarian diet also is linked to lower vitamin D levels, which can affect bone health and immune function, researchers noted. Vegetarians also have higher levels of triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood that can contribute to heart disease.

Ultimately, researchers concluded that genetics play an important role in diet, so much so that in the future each person might need to follow a highly personalized diet in order to achieve their best health.

“We are building a scientific foundation for personalized nutrition, which optimizes human health at the level of the individual, instead of one-size-fits-all dietary recommendations,” Francis said.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on nutrition and genetics .

SOURCE: University of Georgia, news release, July 11, 2024

What This Means For You

Vegetarian diets might not be for everyone, as genetics play a role in how the body responds to nutrition.