A person’s genetic makeup can play a role in determining whether they can stick to a strict vegetarian diet or not, according to a new study. The research, published on Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, may lead to further studies on personalised dietary recommendations and the production of meat substitutes. While a large fraction of people self-identify as mainly “vegetarians”, they also report eating fish, poultry and/or red meat, suggesting there may be environmental or biological constraints that override one’s desire to adhere to a vegetarian diet, said scientists, including those from Northwestern University in the US. “It seems there are more people who would like to be vegetarian than actually are, and we think it’s because there is something hard-wired here that people may be missing,” study co-author Nabeel Yaseen said. In the study, researchers compared UK Biobank genetic data from 5,324 strict vegetarians – consuming no fish, poultry or red meat – to 329,455 controls. Scientists found three genes linked with vegetarianism and another 31 genes that are potentially associated. Several of these genes, according to the study, are involved in lipid (fat) metabolism and/or brain function including two of the top three (NPC1 and RMC1). “My speculation is there may be lipid component(s) present in meat that some people need. And maybe people whose genetics favor vegetarianism are able to synthesize these components endogenously,” Dr Yaseen said. “However, at this time, this is mere speculation and much more work needs to be done to understand the physiology of vegetarianism,” he said. While vegetarianism is increasing in popularity, vegetarians remain a small minority of people worldwide, with 2.3 per cent of adults and 1.9 per cent of children in the UK identifying as vegetarian. Scientists believe the driving factor for food and drink preference is not just taste, but also how an individual’s body metabolises it. Citing an example, they said when trying alcohol for the first time, most people would not find it pleasurable for the first time, but develop a taste because of how alcohol is over time. “I think with meat, there’s something similar. Perhaps you have a certain component – I’m speculating a lipid component – that makes you need it and crave it,” Dr Yaseen said. “While religious and moral considerations certainly play a major role in the motivation to adopt a vegetarian diet, our data suggest that the ability to adhere to such a diet is constrained by genetics,” he said. Scientists hope future studies will lead to a better understanding of the physiologic differences between vegetarians and meat eaters. They said such an understanding would enable personalised dietary recommendations and to produce better meat substitutes. Read More Six healthy recipes that both you and your gut will love Father sparks debate for giving his son non-vegan food behind his wife’s back From leaf crisps to pudding, India’s ‘super food’ millet finds its way onto the G20 dinner menu

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Regulators in the United States have approved the sale of chicken made from cultivated cells, marking a huge step for the nation’s first “lab-grown” meat. The move comes after Good Meat, a developer of chicken grown from animal cells, announced in March 2023 that it had received a “no-questions” letter from the Food and Drug Administration, which indicated the FDA was satisfied that the product was safe to sell, according to CNN. Upside Foods, another company that makes chicken using cultured cells, received a similar letter from the FDA in November, the outlet reported. At the time, Dr Uma Valeti, the founder and CEO of Upside Foods, called the approval a “watershed moment,” noting it’s “never happened before in the history of humanity”. However, before the lab-grown meat could be made available to US consumers, it required approval from the US Department of Agriculture. With Tuesday’s approval by the Agriculture Department of federal inspections required to sell meat and poultry in the US, the two California companies will be able to make the lab-grown chicken available to restaurants and, later, to supermarkets. The goal of lab-grown meat is both to eliminate harm to animals and to reduce the enivornmental impacts of traditional animal agriculture. “Instead of all of that land and all of that water that’s used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which operates Good Meat. The cultivated meat is made using cells from a living animal and grown in steel tanks. Upside’s lab-grown meat first comes out in large sheets, before it is then formed into recognisable chicken shapes, while Good Meat turns the chicken cells into cutlets, nuggets, shredded meat and satays. Good Meat’s chicken is already available in Singapore, the first country to allow the sale of lab-grown meat. As for when individuals living in the US can expect to see the meat in grocery stores, it will likely be some time, as the lab-grown chicken is more expensive than traditional meat, and cannot yet be produced on the same scale, according to Ricardo San Martin, director of the Alt:Meat Lab at University of California Berkeley. However, those eager to try the cell-cultivated meat will be able to do so in certain restaurants, with Upside partnering with San Francisco restuarant Bar Crenn to make the meat available to consumers, while dishes made with Good Meat will be served at Chef Jose Andrés’ restaurant in Washington, DC. According to Amy Chen, Upside’s chief operating officer, the most common response the company has gotten from people who have tried the meat is that it “tastes like chicken”. Read More Lab-grown meat is worse than real thing for climate. But will it always remain that way? Company creates mammoth meatballs using DNA from extinct animal Lab-grown meat takes one step closer to hitting supermarket shelves

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A father has been praised for the “embarrassing” dance moves he’s performed when picking his daughter up from high school. Jevin Smith shared a video to TikTok last month of some of the “most embarrassing parent pick ups” he’s done at his daughter’s school. Smith’s video started off with him wearing a gold jacket and black pants, while he danced to MC Hammer’s “2 Legit 2 Quit.” While continuing some of his moves, he started making his way towards his daughter, Jayna, who had her head down, seemingly due to her embarrassment over her father’s arrival. As she continued to walk next to her father while they headed towards his car, Smith danced in front of her. He also continued dancing as he walked towards the driver’s seat of the car. Although the next clip of the montage began in a similar fashion, it had a different musical theme, as the text read: “How I would have picked up my daughter in the 80s.” Jayna was seen laughing and shaking her head, as her father was wearing a curly wig with a sweatband over it, a striped tank top, tan shorts, and socks that went up to his knees. The video continued with Smith dancing to “I Feel For You’” by Chaka Khan, before he opened his car door for his daughter. In the background, some of the other students at Jayna’s school were seen laughing and cheering Smith on. Smith’s third video in the montage showed him wearing a curly wig, hat, black sweatshirt, and matching jeans, before making his way towards his daughter, who was was exiting her school. While Jayna was laughing and had her head down, Smith went on to rap along to Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day”. He also poked fun at the song’s title in the text on the video, writing: “Today was a good day for me, but was it for my daughter?” As he continued his singing and dancing, he put his arm over his daughter’s shoulder, before taking her school bag from her. He then opened the backseat door of his car for her, while she still appeared embarrassed by her father’s dancing. Smith’s video has quickly gone viral on TikTok, where it has amassed more than four million views. In the comments, many people went on to applaud the father for his dance moves, and made jokes about how he could have entertained some of the other students at the school. @wealthyjev Here’s a #throwback of some of my most #embarrassing #DaddyDaughterPickUp s ??? I know my daughter @Reigny cant wait yo graduate ??♂️ Which #parentpickup was your favorite? ? #throwbackthursday ♬ original sound - Wealthy Jev “I absolutely love that you open the door for her! Great dad!!” one wrote. “This man better have his own page in the yearbook,” another quipped, while a third added: “If I was a teacher at that school, I would be RUNNING after the bell rings to watch this in person.” Speaking to Today, Jayna, who’s a senior in high school, noted that while she was initially embarrassed by her father’s dances, she now finds them to be quite amusing. “In the beginning, when he first started doing it, I was like, this is unbearable. Imagine watching your father get out of the car and start dancing,” Jayna said. “Now I think it’s hilarious. There’s never a time when I’m upset. He’s like a celebrity at school now. Everyone loves his TikTok.” Smith also noted to the publication that, while he started doing these dances for Jayna during her sophomore year, he doesn’t do them all the time. The father, who picks his daughter up from school everyday, acknowledged that he can tell by her face when she’s had a bad day. During those instances, he’ll “either tone down the dance, or get right back in the car,” as reported by Today. He added that he also only does the dances once a month, and doesn’t tell her daughter when it’s going to happen. The Independent has contacted Smith for comment. Read More Lily Allen celebrates third wedding anniversary with David Harbour in sweet Instagram post Elon Musk reveals names of his twins with Shivon Zilis Alabama Barker shares sweet note from ‘best dad’ Travis Barker Alabama Barker shares sweet note from ‘best dad’ Travis Barker Gigi Hadid talks about balancing work and co-parenting with Zayn Malik Seal praises his and Heidi Klum’s daughter Leni for making him ‘a better person’

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Watch live as King Charles visits Notre Dame cathedral and a flower market in Paris on Thursday, 21 September, on his state visit to France. His Majesty has been accompanied by Queen Camilla for the trip, which is his 35th official visit to France and the Queen's ninth - however it is their first since they were crowned last year. The tour of the cathedral and the market comes after the King made a historic address to the French senate on Thursday morning. Charles became the first British monarch to speak from the chamber as he branded global warming “our most existential challenge” a day after Rishi Sunak scaled back key green efforts to tackle climate change. The King's 18-minute long speech prompted a standing ovation after he called for a new Entente Cordiale agreement between Britain and France to tackle the global climate emergency. The Notre Dame visit comes after Charles and Camilla visited the suburb of Saint-Denis, home of the Rugby World Cup, where they were met by rugby stars and sports fans. Read More Queen enjoys game of ping pong with Brigitte Macron King Charles makes historic speech and gives verdict on Rugby World Cup - live ‘May the best win’: King wishes England and France well in Rugby World Cup

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