Depressed Vegetarians

We now have a new addition to the list of effective treatments for depression. The treatment is-- meat.

Apparently, those who refuse to eat meat, on high moral grounds, are more likely to become more depressed. The possible reason, the lack of specific nutrients found in meat.

So, vegetarians and vegans show more depression more often than do carnivores. You probably suspected as much.

The New York Post reports:

A new study published by the Journal of Affective Disorders found that beef was the only food linked to a lower risk of depression….

Researchers found that meatless diets actually led to people experiencing depressive episodes twice as often as those who eat beef.

The authors of the study wrote that “nutrient deficiencies do not explain this association,” but other experts have a different take.

Nutrients found in beef — including iron, vitamin B, zinc and protein — help brain functions and may be valuable in preventing depressive episodes. 

Being as this is science, the researchers offer different interpretations of the data. Some believe that it’s all about nutrients, but others demur. After all, it might be that the people who undertake vegetarian diets are more likely to be more depressed to begin with. Or else, it might be the case that vegans remove themselves from various social situations where meat is present.

Still, the nutrient deficiency theory does makes a lot of sense:

“Whenever an individual excludes an entire food group, in this case, protein and fat sources, and does not replace it with equally nutritionally adequate options, it will affect a variety of systemic and physiological functions such as cognitive health,” Monique Richard, an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson, told Healthline. 

In any case, the next time some virtue-signaling vegan berates you for destroying the planet by eating meat, you can refer him or her for psychiatric evaluation.