Vegetarian and Depressed? You Might Be Low on Vitamin B12

Research Linking Vegetarianism and Depression
- A 2007 study of 14,247 young women found that 30 percent of vegetarians and semi-vegetarians had experienced depression in the previous 12 months, compared to 20 percent of non-vegetarian women3.
- Researchers examined mental health issues among a representative sample of 4,116 Germans including vegetarians, predominantly vegetarians, and non-vegetarians. The subjects were matched on demographic and socioeconomic variables. More vegetarians than meat eaters suffered from depressive disorders in the previous month, the previous year, and over their lifetimes4.
- In 2014, researchers studied individuals who varied in their diets: 330 vegetarians, 330 people who consumed a lot of meat, 330 omnivores who ate less meat, and 330 people who consumed a little meat but mostly ate fruits and veggies. The subjects were matched for sex, age, and socio-economic status. The vegetarians were about two times as likely as the other groups to suffer from a mental illness such as anxiety and depression5.
- A study of 140 women found that the odds of depression were two times greater in women consuming less than the recommended intake of meat per week. (Researchers also discovered that women eating more than the recommended amount were also likely to be depressed6.)
References:
1. Cobalamin deficiency, 2012;56:301-22. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-2199-9_16
2. The prevalence of cobalamin deficiency among vegetarians assessed by serum vitamin B12: a review of literature, 26 March 2014
3. How does the health and well-being of young Australian vegetarian and semi-vegetarian women compare with non-vegetarians?, 2007
4. Vegetarian diet and mental disorders: results from a representative community survey, 2012
5. Nutrition and Health – The Association between Eating Behavior and Various Health Parameters: A Matched Sample Study, February 7, 2014
6. Red Meat Consumption and Mood and Anxiety Disorders, 2012;81:196–198