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 .
