Depressing news, it put me off my lentils

[Gob]

CBS Local — Vegetarians are almost twice as likely to suffer from depression as those who consume a conventional balanced diet, according to a new study.

The new Bristol University study of almost 10,000 from southwestern England found that vegetarians were more likely to develop depression due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can negatively impact their mental health.


The 350 committed vegetarians who participated in the study had a higher average depression score when compared to the meat-eaters, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

The vegetarians’ diet tended to feature lower vitamin B12 consumption, as well as greater intake of nuts that contain omega-6 fatty acids, which have been linked with an increased risk of mental health problems.

Slightly more than 50 percent of vegans and 7 percent of vegetarians have a vitamin B12 deficiency, the researchers said. Vitamin B12 can be found in red meat, and plays an important role in affecting an individual’s mood.

“Other potential factors include high blood levels of phytoestrogens – consequent mainly on diets rich in vegetables and soya,” the report says. “Another potential contributing factor is that lower intakes of seafood are thought to be associated with greater risk of depressive symptoms.”

The lack of a balanced diet can influence the development of depression, and the research findings can also be attributed partially to iron deficiencies, the study says. Participants who had been consuming a vegetarian diet for longer periods of time had higher depression scores throughout.

But the researchers did not rule out the possibility that the vegetarians’ decisions to adopt their diet could have been a symptom of depression from the start.

[BoSoxGal]

But the researchers did not rule out the possibility that the vegetarians’ decisions to adopt their diet could have been a symptom of depression from the start.

I'd bet on this as being a major factor; a lot of vegetarians and vegans are very tuned into suffering in the world and that's the basis for their dietary philosophy.

I ate shitloads of meat and dairy as a kid and was clinically depressed at 14. I've know many people with depression and hardly any of them were veggies or vegans. Considering the rates of mental health issues v. the rates of vegetarianism/veganism in the US, I don't believe in a strong connection between consumption of meat/dairy and prevention of depression.

[Joe Guy]

The vegetarians’ diet tended to feature lower vitamin B12 consumption, as well as greater intake of nuts that contain omega-6 fatty acids, which have been linked with an increased risk of mental health problems.

Proof once again that you are what you eat.

[Lord Jim]

I'm going to make sure my hippie chick wanna-be peace-nick commie daughter sees this article...

[BoSoxGal]

I'm guessing she's clever enough to read on her own and access all the abundant information available establishing that proper vegetarian and vegan diets are perfectly adequate for optimal health, as related by hundreds of physicians and endorsed by numerous medical and nutrition organizations - not to mentions millions upon millions of people all over the world who exist on veggie and vegan diets with lower mental illness rates than those of us consuming a standard American diet (which is SAD, by the way).

[Guinevere]

The vegetarians’ diet tended to feature lower vitamin B12 consumption, as well as greater intake of nuts that contain omega-6 fatty acids, which have been linked with an increased risk of mental health problems.

Proof once again that you are what you eat.

I've never been a fan of nuts. Lentils, sure. One of my favorite things. Nuts. Not so much.

[Big RR]

I like most nuts (except Brazil nuts), but they tend to make me happy, not depressed. Then again, maybe you have to eat 10lbs a day for this to kick in.

[BoSoxGal]

Walnuts are a superfood, I'm glad that I like them a lot. Didn't eat them for many, many years - they were a holiday treat in my childhood and I've only just started eating them again in recent months. Lots of fat in nuts though, so even though it's good fat, they must be enjoyed in moderation.

Brazil nuts and walnuts are actually recommended in the diet for combating depression, and have been for many years - they contain selenium which acts to boost mood, although the precise mechanism is still unclear. Selenium toxicity is bad, though, which is another reason that both types of nuts should be consumed in moderation.

[Long Run]

Walnuts are a superfood

That's what he said . . .

[Gob]

No such thing as a "superfood", just foods.

[BoSoxGal]

It's a term widely used by nutritionists and doctors, referring to those natural foods with the highest concentration of healthful nutrients.

It's in the Oxford dictionary, even:

su·per·food
ˈso͞opərˌfo͞od/
noun
noun: superfood; plural noun: superfoods; noun: super-food; plural noun: super-foods
a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.
"he touts broccoli sprouts and salmon as two of the most perfect superfoods"

[rubato]

Slightly more than 50 percent of vegans and 7 percent of vegetarians have a vitamin B12 deficiency, the researchers said

50% are deficient in B12? Something easily rectified with a supplement? Oh that is just stupid and ignorant behavior. Even 7% is bad.

yrs,
rubato

[BoSoxGal]

I agree; maybe there would be better education available to vegetarians and vegans if the meat and dairy industries didn't have such a stranglehold on the food pyramid/plate and other common sources of dietary information.

I've been vegan for 2 months, it's my understanding it will take 2-3 years before I develop a B12 deficiency and since I have blood work every year, when it's time I'll be able to supplement and keep my levels healthy. I also use a fair bit of nutritional yeast which is fortified, so it may even take longer before I require a supplement.

Vegans and vegetarians can be perfectly healthy at all stages of life without overly complicated diets. This is one study, not some kind of earth shattering revelation. Maybe there are just more depressed vegetarians in the U.K. I've read a great deal over the years about depression and rates of depression world wide; brutally poor lifelong vegetarians in rural China exhibit a much lower rate of depression than populations in the West.

[Joe Guy]

Along with needing a B12 supplement, another thing I recall from studying nutrition is that nuts and some other foods have protein but they are not a complete protein, which means that they don't contain all nine of the essential amino acids. Which also means you have to know which amino acids are missing and get them from another source. That further supports the idea that people who choose a vegan diet better know what they are doing and not just assume that it only means eliminating dairy and meat from their diet.

I've known a few people who claimed to be vegans and one thing they had in common is that they looked anemic. It was quite obvious they needed to add knowledge supplements to their daily intake.

[dales]

I like my steaks medium rare.

[Lord Jim]

I like my steaks medium rare.

Mankind did not fight its way to the top of the food chain to graze like cows...

And as a fortunate beneficiary of this process, I don't intend to either...

If our ancestors had not become carnivorous, they would never have had the brain size increase that led to our becoming the preeminent species on the planet...

So lets have a big shout-out for the first proto-human hominoids that decided to start eating meat...

If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be here to have this discussion...

[Bicycle Bill]

I've been vegan for 2 months

Which explains your sudden surge of zealous evangelism for the vegan lifestyle and the gratuitous put-downs of 'meat-eaters' and their allegedly toxic diet.
When I first got really serious about cycling I was the same way; I walked, talked, ate, drank, and slept all things bicycle.  It took about five years before I was able to tone down the obnoxiousness to a tolerable level.

-"BB"-

[BoSoxGal]

What gratuitous put-downs, exactly? Please provide links to these alleged putdowns. Or are you just experiencing that knee-jerk reactionary hostility that many omnivores seem to resort to when met with a person who has chosen to eschew animal flesh & secretions? I don't give a fuck what you eat BB, or when your heart fails you - that's your business. And if you want to post about your meat and dairy filled meals, I don't care. I'll post about my diet as much as I like and if you take it as a personal affront, that's your psychodrama, not mine.

Joe Guy, several decades ago the common understanding was that vegans had to mix certain foods in every meal to satisfy the body's need for essential amino acids. For a long while now nutritionists have understood that the body is able to manufacture these amino acids so long as a person is getting adequate calories and eating from a range of healthy sources including veggies, fruits, whole grains, legumes and nuts. It's important to recognize that nutrition science is still very young and new realizations are being made all the time - so what you knew eons ago as a young person is likely no longer true.

I've already posted links to vegan bodybuilding websites and referenced the fact that Venus Williams is vegan, Serena Williams also follows a largely vegan diet while competing, and many other world class athletes are vegan. Vegans can be very healthy and generally have far fewer health issues (as do vegetarians) than meat/dairy consumers.

That said, there are certainly junk food vegans who subsist on crap that just happens to not contain animal products - and I'm sure such folks look like shit every bit as much as the typical SAD eater for whom fruits and veggies consumption is a rarity. It's all about the phytonutrients in plants!

eta: To clarify, I'm following a whole foods, plant based diet with very limited oil consumption - I'm not an ethical vegan because I wear leather Birkenstocks and own a couple of wool sweaters and several silk scarves and I will occasionally consume honey - not a lot, but only because I'm limiting sugar consumption. Calling my diet vegan is shorthand and certainly I feel good about no longer supporting the meat/dairy industries because the vast majority of the animals in them lead bleak lives of suffering ending in often horrific death. But the fact is that I knew that for many years and kept eating meat and dairy, much of it not ethically sourced. I was compelled to make the change to cure illness in my own body, not because I'm a righteous vegan. I admire those folks but I don't claim to be as virtuous as they are.

[RayThom]

... When I first got really serious about cycling I was the same way; I walked, talked, ate, drank, and slept all things bicycle.  It took about five years before I was able to tone down the obnoxiousness to a tolerable level...

Am I allowed to speak negatively about that lying, liar who lies, Lance Armstrong yet, or does that still cross your redline?

[Gob]

Why there is no such thing as superfoods...