According to a new study, meat eaters are less likely to be depressed than vegetarians.
According to a new study, vegetarians have about twice as many depressive episodes as meat eaters.
The study, published in the Affective Disorders Diary, is based on survey data in Brazil. This agrees with previous research that found higher rates of depression in those who don’t eat meat. However, the new study indicates that this link exists independently of nutritional intake.
According to a Gallup poll, about 5% of the American population considers themselves vegetarian. Women are about 50% more likely to be vegetarians than men. People who consider themselves liberal are much more likely to be vegetarian than conservatives or moderates.
It may seem straightforward to look at an association between a diet and specific health problems and assume that the former is causing the latter via some form of nutritional deficiency.
However, the new analysis took into account a wide range of nutritional factors, including total calorie intake, protein intake, micronutrient intake and level of food processing. This suggests that the higher rates of depression among vegetarians are not caused by the nutritional content of their diet.
So what could explain the link between vegetarianism and depression? Is there a non-nutritional mechanism that causes the first to cause the second? Or does the relationship depend entirely on something else?
There are several possible reasons why there is a link between vegetarianism and depression.
First, it’s possible that depression makes people more likely to become vegetarians rather than the other way around. Symptoms of depression can include ruminating on negative thoughts, as well as feelings of guilt.
Assuming that depressed and non-depressed people are equally likely to encounter the shocking truth of slaughterhouses and factory farming, it is possible that depressed people are more likely to ruminate on these thoughts and more likely to feel guilty about their role in creating demand. .
The depressed vegetarian, in this case, is not necessarily wrong to think so. While depression is sometimes characterized as having unrealistic negative perceptions, there is evidence to suggest that people with mild to moderate depression have more realistic judgments about the outcome of uncertain events and more realistic perceptions of their own roles and roles. capacities.
In this case, there really is cruel treatment of animals in meat production. And this is really due to consumer demand for cheap meat.
Sometimes in factory farming the animals are really treated with cruelty.
Second, adherence to a vegetarian diet may cause depression for reasons other than nutrition. Even though there is no “happy nutrient” missing from a vegetarian diet, giving up meat may cause depression in other ways.
For example, adopting a vegetarian diet may affect his relationship with others and his participation in social activities. In fact, it is sometimes associated with teasing or other forms of social ostracism.
Notably, the new study is based on survey data collected in Brazil, a country famous for its meat-rich diet. Some survey data has indicated a sharp increase in vegetarianism in Brazil in recent years, from 8% in 2012 to 16% in 2018. However, the recent article surveyed over 14,000 Brazilians and found only 82 vegetarians – just over half a percent. .
One has to wonder if the same link between vegetarianism and depression would be seen in India or other countries where vegetarianism is more of a social norm. More importantly, as the rate of vegetarianism increases in the UK and other developed countries, will we see the relationship disappear over time?
Finally, neither vegetarianism nor depression may cause the other, but both are associated with a third factor. It could be any number of characteristics or experiences associated with both vegetarianism and depression.
For example, women are more likely than men to be vegetarians and also more likely to suffer from depression. However, the Brazilian study took gender into account, excluding this particular third variable.
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One variable that has not been examined, but is likely related to both vegetarianism and depression, is exposure to violent images of the meat industry. Preventing cruelty to animals is the reason most often cited by vegetarians for avoiding meat.
Documentaries like Dominion and Earthlings that depict the cruelty in the meat industry cannot easily be described as feel-good movies. One can easily imagine that someone who consumes this kind of media would become both a vegetarian and, especially when most people choose to look away, depressed.
There are several possible reasons for the link between vegetarianism and depression. This new study suggests that vegetarian nutrition is not the cause of depression.
Instead, vegetarian social experience may contribute to depression, depression may result in an increased likelihood of becoming a vegetarian, or vegetarianism and depression may be caused by a third variable, such as exposure to violent images of the meat industry.
Written by Chris Bryant, Honorary Research Associate, Department of Psychology, University of Bath.
This article first appeared in The Conversation.
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