Vegetarianism May Not Be Good For Men’s Mental Health

Vegetarian diets were associated with more depressive symptoms among men, according to the findings of a recent study.

While vegetarian diets are associated with various health benefits, few studies have examined the association between the diet and mental health outcomes.
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In their study, the researchers assessed dietary frequency data and Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores from 9668 men involved in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. A total of 350 men identified as vegetarian.

Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the association between depression and diet, which accounted for age, marital status, employment status, housing tenure, number of children in household, religion, family history of depression, previous childhood psychiatric contact, cigarette use, and alcohol consumption.

After adjustment for potential confounding factors, the researchers found that vegetarians had, on average, higher depression scores and greater risk for having EPDS scores above 10 compared with non-vegetarians.

“Vegetarian men have more depressive symptoms after adjustment for socio-demographic factors,” the researchers concluded. “Nutritional deficiencies (eg in cobalamin or iron) are a possible explanation for these findings, however reverse causation cannot be ruled out.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Hibbeln JR, Northstone K, Golding J. Vegetarian diets and depressive symptoms among men [published online July 28, 2017]. J Affect Disord. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.07.051.