Is vegetarianism really healthier?

Our ancestors are as vegetarian as chimpanzees, so we have evolved a gene to adapt to vegetarianism In recent years, vegetarianism has gradually become a synonym for healthy food Many people think that they are healthier to look after their ancestors in terms of diet, and even restrain themselves from becoming vegetarians who don't touch meat at all So, is vegetarianism really healthier? Let's take a look at a recent study published in the journal Molecular Biology and evolution   Human beings have tried and adapted to various kinds of food in the long evolutionary process, and various food sources ensure that we can get adequate nutrition In particular, the body can not generate basic nutrients, such as omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids The fatty acid desaturase (FADS) in our body is responsible for transforming Omega 6 and omega 3 from vegetable oil, fish and meat into long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid LCPUFA, which plays an important biological role Scientists have found that fads gene evolves rapidly, often mutates and causes serious problems   In 2012, researchers at Cornell University discovered a specific genetic variation of FADS2 This mutation will result in 22 bp insertion / deletion of FADS2 gene Given the lack of meat derived LCPUFA in vegetarians, they speculated that the insertion version of FADS2 could help vegetarians metabolize LCPUFA precursors more effectively   To confirm their theory, the researchers collected blood samples from Indian vegetarians and American omnivores and analyzed the insertion and deletion of FADS2 by PCR and DNA sequencing Studies have shown that vegetarians almost always carry the plug-in version of FADS2, while the missing version is extremely rare The number of vegetarians (I / I) carrying two copy insertion variants was much higher than that of omnivores About half of omnivores carry a deletion mutation (D / D) of two copies   Later, the researchers expanded their research scope They studied the data of the Millennium human genome project and found that the proportion of I / I genotypes was the highest in Africa and South Asia, and lower in Europe and East Asia Further studies have shown that the inserted FADS2 is inherited from ancestors, and both Neanderthals and denisovans carry this allele   The question now is whether FADS2 can really affect individual LCPUFA production The researchers analyzed blood fat levels in volunteers It is confirmed that carriers of FADS2 can better convert vegetable oil into omega-6 LCPUFA At the same consumption of vegetable oil, omega-6 arachidonic acid (ARA) was the most accumulated in the volunteers with FADS2 This ara is known to promote inflammation   To make matters worse, omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) in anti-inflammatory diseases were significantly reduced due to the insertion version of FADS2, which kept the conversion machine busy with ara production The imbalance of omega-6 and omega-3 LCPUFA will bring serious health problems Although omega-6 is an essential nutrient, it's not good to overdo it, the researchers point out This study tells us that it's not as healthy as you think to force you to change your eating habits and become a vegetarian   The calorie restriction diet was developed by Clive McCay of Columbia University in 1930 to avoid malnutrition while minimizing calorie intake Calorie restriction is believed to reduce cholesterol levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and even prolong life However, this kind of diet control will make the eaters suffer a lot In fact, there are not many people who can stick to it Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have found a new long-life pathway in yeast, and interference with this pathway can simulate the role of heat restriction   Calorie restriction contributes to healthy longevity, an effect that has been demonstrated in a variety of animals, from yeast to primates Researchers at the University of Sydney have found that a low protein, high carbohydrate diet can achieve similar effects as calorie restriction They report in the journal Cell reports that a low protein, high carbohydrate diet is as good for mice as a 40% calorie limit With the exception of a few fanatics, no one can stick to the 40% calorie limit for a long time And this calorie restriction can also affect bone mass, libido and fertility (for more details, see: don't shut up? You can eat like this)
When people are on a diet, they often convert food into calories In fact, different types of calories have different effects on weight loss NIH researchers in the United States found that when dieting to lose weight, limiting dietary fat is more effective than limiting carbohydrates Reducing carbohydrates can better reduce insulin secretion and enhance fat burning, so many people think reducing carbohydrate intake is more conducive to weight loss And this study shows that volunteers lose more fat when they limit their dietary fat.