Association between meatless diet and depressive episodes: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the longitudinal study of adult health (ELSA-Brasil)

In this cross-sectional study by Kohl et al. (2023), the authors investigated the potential relationship between depressive episodes and consuming a meatless diet, using data from a population of 14216 adults (participants of the ELSA-Brasil cohort, ages 35-74). Depressive episodes were evaluated using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R), while dietary adherence was evaluated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. After adjusting for potential confounders, the results revealed a two-fold increase in the prevalence of depressive episodes with adherence to a meatless diet, compared to meat consumers. The authors conclude that participants who did not eat meat were twice as likely to suffer from depressive episodes compared to their peers, regardless of lifestyle or socioeconomic factors. Further studies (especially longitudinal ones) are necessary to understand the mechanism behind this relationship. [NPID: Vegetarian diet, depression, mental health, meat]

Year: 2022

Reference: Ingrid S. Kohl, Vivian C. Luft, Ana Luísa Patrão, Maria del Carmen B. Molina, Maria Angélica A. Nune, Maria I. Schmidt, (2022). Association between meatless diet and depressive episodes: A cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the longitudinal study of adult health (ELSA-Brasil), Journal of Affective Disorders.