Male vegetarians may have higher risk for depression
A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders suggests that men who are vegetarians may have higher depression scores than non-vegetarians.
A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders suggests that men who are vegetarians may have higher depression scores than non-vegetarians. According to the authors, not much is known about the mental health benefits and risks of vegetarian diets.
For this study, the researchers relied on self-reported data from 9,668 adult male partners of pregnant women in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The data included identification as vegetarian or vegan, dietary frequency data, and the Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale (EPDS). The researchers assessed the continuous and binary outcomes using multiple linear and logistic regression taking into account age, marital status, employment status, housing tenure, number of children in the household, religion, family history of depression, prior childhood psychiatric contact, cigarette and alcohol consumption.
The researchers found that vegetarian men have more depressive symptoms after adjustment for socio-demographic factors. More depression among male vegetarians might, according to the authors, be caused by lower vitamin B12 or by the increased intake of omega-6 fatty acids. Other potential causative agents include elevated blood levels of phytoestrogens from soy or vegetable-based foods.