Some people who stop eating meat have reported unpleasant consequences when they come back to it. Is our bodies likely to forget how to metabolize it?

Eating less meat is one of the simplest ways to reduce its carbon footprint.

If all In the United Kingdom they were following a low -meat diet, eating less than 50 grams or a cumberland sausage a day, could be saved as much carbon as if eight million cars were parked “good”, the researchers calculated. Data from the UK government shows that meat consumption is reduced – between 1980 and 2022, the consumption of beef, pork and lamb decreased by 62% – and although the reasons mentioned vary and may have more to do with increasing costs than with the environment.

But if one Doesn’t he eat meat for a long time, this may change his body’s ability to metabolize it? Vegeterian and Vegan sometimes post on social media, asking if returning to meat can cause stomach pain, bloating and other symptoms, such as cramps and sleep discomfort.

However, there has been no much research on whether eating meat after a long break can cause stomach disorders, says Sander Kersten, a nutrition professor at Cornell University in the USA. “Lack of evidence does not mean that is not the case, just people have not studied it“, She thinks. “This is not always a satisfactory situation or answer, but it is exactly what you have to deal with sometimes“

It is possible – though very rare – to be allergic to meat. Alpha-Gal’s syndrome, in which the immune system recognizes animal proteins as invaders, can lead to anaphylaxis and death. But this allergy, which can occur after a life of happy meat consumption, is not related to the transition to a low -meat diet. It may, for example, develop intolerance to meat after a tick bite.

For many who avoid meat, the discovery that they have consumed it unknowingly can be emotionally painful – they may feel as a personal violation, says Kersten, who is a vegetarian himself. “This would be very upset by some people,” he explains. “I don’t know if this would lead to physical symptoms. It could certainly cause a lot of anger. “

However, it is not as reasonable as one can imagine that the body could, for a long time, lose the ability to digest meat. Meat is generally digested very easily, as opposed to fiber in fruits, vegetables and legumes. To dissolve it, our body needs help from our microbiome, whose germs have the necessary enzymes to digest it.

In addition, the enzymes used to digest vegetable proteins are the same as those used in meat proteins. These enzymes recognize and cut specific chemical bonds in proteins. Whether they come from plants or animals, the proteins are made up of building blocks called amino acids. The enzymes can generally break them down wherever they come from.

This process is different from the case, for example, of sugars from animal milk such as lactose. To digest lactose, your body needs a specific enzyme called lactase and people who do not produce enough of the enzyme, which makes them intolerant of lactose may suffer from abdominal disorders after eating dairy products.

But with the meat proteins, it makes no sense to think that the body somehow stops producing the enzymes necessary for the comfortable digestion of a hamburger – it is always there, they break up any protein coming from, either from pea, soy or steaks, says Kersten.

However, the microbiome of the human intestine is transformed and changes depending on what its host eats. Sometimes this means that these types of bacteria are changing there. Sometimes the germs just produce other enzymes. While there are differences between the pamphs and vegetarians and vegans, they do not appear to be radically divergent, since the omnivores consume a variety of plants, according to research.

The microbes can move quickly as a result of dietary changes, however – a study in which people turned to a diet based on animals showed that a displacement from their original microbiome was visible in a day (returned quickly to normal as soon as the diet ended). The subjects were encouraged to report any discomfort they felt, but nothing happened.

After all, it is the sudden consumption of large quantities of fiber after a long interruption that could cause digestive problems. It is best to relax in such dietary changes.

In short, worrying that your body somehow loses the ability to digest meat should not affect the plans to extend veganuary until spring. If you are among those who had stomach disorders after eating meat after a long break, the loss of enzymes is not likely to be the culprit, although this phenomenon remains insufficiently studied, Kersten says.

“The body is pretty adaptive“, He continues. “Can do more than you think“