Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Our Ancestors' Food Choices continue to Impact our Health

What can happen if you change your vegetarian diet to something else?

For example: Cultures from many parts of the world including India, Africa, and Asia have come from a strict vegetarian diet. And if they were to change this diet to something such as a red meat diet it can have some serious health risk such as developing heart disease, colon cancer, or another disease concerning with the overall health according to researchers.



Can your ancestor's diet alter the microbes within your body?

Researcher have already identified a genetic mutation called rs66698963 and it is found within the FADS2 gene which they came to realize after testing several citizens from Pune, India. This gene is directly linked with people who have ancestors' who have been on the vegetarian and vegan diet. Scientist tried to search for this same gene within a region that predominantly ate red meat exclusively in Kansas, USA. And they found that the gene was seen only in the people who came from a background of ancestors who believed in the vegetarian and vegan diet.

Can this gene be deleted if your ancestor didn't believe in the vegetarian or vegan diet?

In fact, researchers have looked into other regions that have come from a background of mostly a meat based diet such as in the parts of northern Canada and parts of Greenland and Alaska who show no sign of the mutation. This is because for thousands of years the people of this region have come from a background who didn't believe in the vegetarian or vegan diets.

**I believe this article in some parts is true and in other parts is untrue. This is because if it were true there wouldn't be groups of people from various parts of the world converting their diet with rich in red meat to a vegetarian or vegan diet, which is well off rich in fruits and vegetables. Overall, more research can certainly confirm if it is based on genetics or your environment.

3 comments:

  1. It is interesting to think that the diet of my ancestors has affected my genes. However, I am not a vegetarian, so if my ancestors were and I am not what affects is this gene having on my health or is it having any affects at all? Would having this gene make me more inclined to a vegetarian diet? Very interesting.

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  2. Hello Brij, this is such an interesting article. I have come from a long line of meat eaters and I myself made the decision to become a vegetarian in the 6th grade. It is pretty certain that my family nor myself do not have this gene mutation, but I am curious to find out if my decision will have an impact on my children, grandchildren, and so forth.

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  3. Your body naturally builds up a tolerance to a certain point to things that it is used to coming in contact with. Therefore, people who predominantly eat only a plant based died are not used to receiving nutrients from meat and fish and therefore become either sick from it or develop diseases associated with not being able to properly digest meat products. Therefore, if these people who are not properly equipped to eat certain foods have children, there is a high chance that they will pass that vegetarian/vegan trait along.

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