Link between going vegetarian and depression

It’s no surprise that what we eat can affect our mood, if for no other reason than taste alone.

A delicious meal can cheer you up in no time. But in what will come as a surprise to some, researchers have found a link between vegetarianism and depression.

Cynical meat lovers out there might be tempted to come up with a smart alec comment along the lines of “What do you expect? Get some bacon into ya!” As a non-vegetarian who loves bacon myself, that is indeed a temptation.

But putting aside the urge to stereotype for a moment, it is fascinating to consider that such a link exists. To be specific, the researchers found that vegetarians have more depressive episodes than those who eat meat.

Read: Psychedelic mushrooms shown to treat depression

The researchers, from several Brazilian universities, have published their findings in the Journal of Affective Disorders, which will appear in print in January. They performed a cross-sectional analysis of a cohort made up of 14,216 Brazilians aged 35 to 74 years.

They found that individuals who excluded meat from their diet were found to have a higher prevalence of depressive episodes. This association was independent of socioeconomic, lifestyle factors and nutrient deficiencies.

The study shows that a lack of nutrients is not the cause of the heightened rate of depressive episodes. So what can we put the link down to?

Read: How to protect your bones if you’re a vegetarian

Unfortunately, the study concludes by more or less asking that very question. There is a need, the authors say, for further data to clarify the causal relationship.

So it’s probably going to be a while before we unravel this little mystery. But that won’t stop many from speculating and investigating.

While we might be tempted to make light of the mystery, depressive episodes are serious events, and can even be life-threatening, so it’s a phenomenon worth studying. One idea is that being a vegetarian might not lead to depression at all, but quite the opposite – that in fact being depressed might result in people being more likely to become vegetarian.

Chris Bryant, honorary research associate in the department of psychology at the University of Bath, explains it this way:

“Assuming that depressed and non-depressed people are equally likely to encounter the upsetting truth of slaughterhouses and factory farming, it is possible that depressed people are more likely to ruminate on those thoughts, and more likely to feel guilty for their part in creating the demand.”

Read: Chronic pain causes brain changes that increase depression and anxiety

The next obvious step for those wracked by such guilt would be to give up eating meat.

There’s some logic to that theory, but until that longitudinal data is available, it will likely remain just that, a theory. Mr Bryant is certainly not wedded to it. He has others.

For instance, he says, adopting a vegetarian diet might affect one’s relationship with others and involvement in social activities, and sometimes may be associated with teasing or other forms of social ostracism. A link between social ostracism and depression is certainly clearer.

While it might be some time before we find the reason for the link between not eating meat and a higher rate of depressive episodes, there’s no need for vegetarians to suddenly renounce their choice.

A bit of common sense applies here. If you have depressive symptoms, your best choice is to seek medical advice.

Have you made the move to vegetarianism? What health challenges has that presented for you? Why not share your experience and thoughts in the comments section below?