Pat comments on a recent research review which found significantly higher rates or risk of anxiety, depression, and/or self-harm among those who abstain from meat.
Does Eating Meat Make You Happy?
Here’ the research review of meat abstention and mental health.
Takeaway: “The majority of studies, and especially the higher quality studies, showed that those who avoided meat consumption had significantly higher rates or risk of depression, anxiety, and/or self-harm behaviors.”
But also: “the larger body of evidence suggests that the health benefits associated with vegetarianism may not be due to the avoidance of meat per se, but other ‘lifestyle’ factors associated with socio-economic status, such as adequate levels of physical activity (Archer, Lavie, and Hill 2018a), low alcohol and drug consumption (O’Keefe et al. 2018), or the avoidance of tobacco products.”
Finally: “Moreover, and in contrast to the positive associations between health and vegetarianism (Appleby and Key 2016; Dinu et al. 2017; Singh, Sabaté, and Fraser 2003; Viguiliouk et al. 2019), recent results suggest that individuals who abstain from meat and/or other animal-based foods may suffer from nutritional deficiencies (e.g., vitamins B12 and D, ω‐3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, and zinc; Craig 2010; Dwyer 1991) with concomitant poorer physical health (Appleby et al. 2007; Burkert et al. 2014b; Cofnas 2019; Iguacel et al. 2019). Furthermore, there is an emerging body of evidence that meat-abstention is linked to mental disorders (Perica and Delaš 2011; Young and Conquer 2005) and poorer psychological well-being (Baines, Powers, and Brown 2007; Hibbeln et al. 2018; Matta et al. 2018; Michalak, Zhang, and Jacobi 2012; Nezlek, Forestell, and Newman 2018; Rosenfeld 2018). Specifically, when compared to those who consume meat, vegetarians are more likely to suffer from or be diagnosed with major depression (Baines, Powers, and Brown 2007; Hibbeln et al. 2018; Jacka et al. 2012) and anxiety (Baines, Powers, and Brown 2007; Bas, Karabudak, and Kiziltan 2005), and are more likely to attempt self-harm (e.g., suicide) (Baines, Powers, and Brown 2007; Neumark-Sztainer et al. 1997; Perry et al. 2001).”
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I wonder if the people who choose to abstain from meat were already the same people who struggled with mental health disorders before choosing to not eat meat. I personally used to struggle a lot with depression and anxiety and since going plant based (no meat) have managed it a lot better than when I did meat. Maybe the idea of not eating meat appeals to the same people who struggle with mental health.
Certainly plausible, in the same way that exercising and other healthy lifestyle factors would be in pursuit of relief for those already struggling. Hence why I mentioned one shouldn’t leap right to a direct causal influence with this.