Eating to live well-Or worse? The role of vegan and vegetarian diets in mental health.

Abstract

BackgroundOver the past two decades, there has been an increase in the prevalence of psychological conditions, such as depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and body image disturbances. In concert with this trend, there was a substantial rise in the advocacy and practice of restrictive dietary patterns, such as veganism and vegetarianism. These parallel developments suggest a relation between diet and mental health, but to date, research has failed to offer clear answers on whether these associations are causal, coincidental, or more complex than superficial analyses suggest.AimGiven this context, the purpose of this commentary is to offer a consilient perspective on the role of vegan and vegetarian diets in mental health.MethodsWe performed a broad qualitative synthesis of the current literature on diet and mental health from sociologic and psychologic perspectives.ResultsSeveral empirically supported hypotheses were presented with equivocal support.ConclusionThe current evidence suggests that if a nutritionally adequate diet is consumed, the avoidance/consumption of meat and other animal foods will have no significant effects on physical and mental health.