11/24/2018 Vegetarian Men are More Depressed - Are Steaks a Treatment?
| American Council on Science and Health
Vegetarian Men Are More
Depressed - Are Steaks A
Treatment?
(/pro le/chuck-dinerstein) By Chuck Dinerstein (/pro le/chuck-dinerstein) — November 10,
2017
From the same dataset
(https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/10/08/one-kabob-short-
drug-addiction-11934) that brought you the information
that vegetarian mothers create drug-addled children, we
learn that vegetarian men are more depressed than their
meat-eating brothers. The study, Vegetarian diets and
depressive symptoms among men (http://www.jad-
journal.com/article/S0165-0327(16)32391-6/abstract), is in
the Journal of A ective Disorders.
That dataset, Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and
Children (ALSPAC), has over 9,000 men self-reporting on
Poison or Anti-Depressant? Photo their eating habits. This study looked at the 350 self-
courtesy of John Sullivan identi ed vegetarians in their midst. These men completed
a survey including a set of measures on depression at
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Grilling_steaks_food_dinner.jpg)
roughly the 18th week of their spouses’ pregnancy. Vegans
were lumped in with vegetarians because of their small numbers. The researchers found that
vegetarian men were more likely, with an odds ratio of 1.71 (that is a 70% increased risk) to be
depressed. The authors say they accounted for a range of sociodemographic factors including
family history, prior childhood psychiatric contact, educational level, number of children at
home, marital and employment status, alcohol and tobacco use and educational level. The
longer time an individual had been a vegetarian did not correlate, at least at a statistical
signi cance, with depression. [1]
So what did? They listed multiple nutrient interactions:
Nuts high in omega-6 fatty acids – associated with depression
Depressive people are more likely to change their dietary preferences
High levels of phytoestrogens and pesticide metabolites – endocrine disruptors from those
pesky vegetables and soy
Lower amounts of omega-3 fatty acids - presumably the vegetarians did not eat seafood
Lower red meat consumption - may result in lower Vitamin B-12 levels [2]
Which led them to state plainly, “It is possible that for some proportion of the population,
vegetarianism is not chosen for health, religious or ethical reasons, but is a marker for other
psychiatric disorders manifesting with symptoms of both eating disorders and depressive
symptoms.”
It is unclear whether the authors of this study had a chance to review the work on vegetarian
mothers creating substance abusing children. Perhaps the fathers were depressed because of
how the children turned out?
The authors did indicate the study’s limitations, including the fact that no nutrient or pesticide
levels were actually evaluated, that multivariable analysis can misrepresent or hide relationships
and that reverse causality, that being depressed makes you switch to a vegetarian diet, could be
an explanation. As is always they case, they use this as a plea for more funding with the classic
“more study is necessary,” such as a “randomized placebo-controlled trial … to determine
whether depressive symptoms among vegetarians can be reduced by supplementing with folic
acid and other B vitamins.”
If only supplements could help, it would be a true ‘have your cake and eat it too’ situation or, as
the authors hope, supplements might allow vegetarians “the bene ts of better health, and
harmony with ethical and cultural beliefs, while reducing risks of depressive symptoms.”
The author acknowledges a con ict of interest in that he continues to enjoy steak.
Footnotes:
https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/11/10/vegetarian-men-are-more-depressed-are-steaks-treatment-12129 1/2
11/24/2018 Vegetarian Men are More Depressed - Are Steaks a Treatment? | American Council on Science and Health
[1] Does this mean that even a few vegetarian days are su cient to cause depression?
[2] The authors cite a study of 1,046 Australian women where lower red meat consumption was
associated with nearly a doubling of risk for major depressive and anxiety disorders.
https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/11/10/vegetarian-men-are-more-depressed-are-steaks-treatment-12129 2/2
