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Depression, anxiety, emotional eating, and body mass index among self-reported vegetarians and non-vegetarians: A cross-sectional study in Peruvian adults
Vegetarianism is often linked to various health benefits, yet its relationship with mental health aspects remains unclear. This study by Saintila et al. (2024) examined the body mass index (BMI), emotional eating (EmE), and symptoms of anxiety and depression among adult vegetarians and non-vegetarians in Peru. 768 adult Peruvians participated in a cross-sectional survey, 284 (37%) of whom were vegetarian and 484 (63%) of whom were not. The authors collected data on participants’ BMI in addition to their mood and dietary habits using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2 (GAD-2), the Depression Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), and an emotional eating (EmE) questionnaire. Compared to non-vegetarians, vegetarian reported having higher depression symptoms. Anxiety was shown to follow a similar pattern. In contrast, vegetarian exhibited lower EmE scores compared to non-vegetarians. Additionally, vegetarians had a lower mean BMI than non-vegetarian. The results imply that vegetarian diets are linked to lower EmE and BMI scores, as well as increased feelings of anxiety and despair. Further, longitudinal studies are required to clarify these associations and explore causality and underlying mechanisms. [NPID: Anxiety, body mass index, depression, emotional eating, dietary pattern, vegetarians]
Year: 2024
