Scientists have found that opting for a meat-free diet could be down to a genetic mutation rather than a simple lifestyle choice. Analysis of the genomes of British vegetarians found a link between their rejection of meat and mutations in their DNA that distinguish them from carnivores. Researchers compared the genomes of 5,642 British vegetarians with those of more than 360,000 meat eaters. They discovered a single mutation, near a gene labelled VRK2, was strongly associated with people wanting to turn vegetarian. The same study, by scientists from Oxford University and published by Wellcome Open Research, also found vegetarians tend to be more intelligent, gain higher academic qualifications than average and be more successful.