Is There a Relationship between Vegetarianism and Seasonal Affective Disorder? A Pilot Study

Effects of Mediterranean and Western dietary patterns on perceived stress and mental distress

Compared to the Western diet, the Mediterranean diet has many known benefits for both mental health and physical health; however, little is known about the effect of these dietary patterns on perceived stress and mental distress. To assess the relationship between dietary patterns, perceived stress and mental wellbeing, an anonymous online questionnaire targeting adults 18 and older was distributed via several social media platforms and email listservs. The survey included demographic questions, the Food-Mood Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale and the Kessler Psychological Distress scale (K-6). A total of 1591 participants completed the survey. The data was analyzed using Principal Component Analysis and Pearson Correlation Coefficient in SPSS version 28.0. The results showed significant negative correlations between perceived stress and mental distress with several components of the Mediterranean diet, such as whole grains, seafood, fruits, vegetables, and beans. Despite being attributed to the Western diet, meat produced a negative correlation with perceived stress and mental distress. However, significant positive correlations between perceived stress and mental distress and the Western diet, such as fast food and high glycemic index food, were detected. Our findings provide evidence that dietary patterns modulate the stress response and suggest that incorporating components of the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for mental wellbeing and stress reduction.

Life of a vegetarian college student: Health, lifestyle, and environmental perceptions

Objective To examine health behavior and environmental perception differences among vegetarian and nonvegetarian students. Participants: First-year university students (n = 1078) from eight United States universities. Methods: Data were obtained from base 2015 and followup 2016 assessments. Vegetarians and nonvegetarians were compared for anthropometrics, lifestyle behaviors, and campus environmental perceptions (CEPS). Results: Vegetarians had smaller waist circumference, lower systolic blood pressure, higher fruit and vegetable consumption, lower percentage of energy obtained from fat, and higher perceived stress. Vegetarians expressed a lower rating of perceptions of health policies on campus. Conclusion: A clear difference in indicators of physical health does not appear, however, vegetarian students show positive dietary patterns which can promote positive health outcomes. Further, vegetarians had lower perceptions of health policies on campus. Results can be used by administrators to ensure policies are in place to support health of students as currently vegetarian students see limitations in the environmental health policies.

Depression and Vegetarians: Association between Dietary Vitamin B6, B12 and Folate Intake and Global and Subcortical Brain Volumes

Deficiency of vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, mostly in vegetarians, is found to be associated with depression and adverse neurological function. We investigated whether vitamin B6, B12, and folate have an effect on brain structure, especially among depressed people who follow a specific diet. The study sample comprised 9426 participants from the UK Biobank cohort with a mean age of 62.4 years. A generalized linear model controlling for age, sex, body mass index, ethnicity, town send deprivation index, educational qualification, smoking, and alcohol intake was used to test the association between study groups and structural brain volumes. Depression was more prevalent, and intake of vitamin B6 and B12 was lower among vegetarians, while non-vegetarians had a lower intake of folate. Overall, no significant association was observed between vitamin B6, B12, and folate intakes and both global and subcortical brain volumes among participants with depression. However, vitamin B12 intake was positively associated with right pallidum among non-depressed participants, and a significant interaction between vitamin B12 intake and depression status on the right pallidum was observed. Also, a significant interaction between folate intake and depression status on grey matter (GM) volume and left thalamus was observed. Upon diet stratification, folate intake is associated with total brain volume and GM volume among vegetarians with depression. Furthermore, no significant associations were observed for subcortical regions. Our findings suggest that dietary intake of vitamin B6 and B12 might have an effect on brain structure. Vegetarians, particularly those who suffer from depression may benefit from supplementing their diets with vitamins B6, B12, and folate to ensure brain health. Further studies, especially with a larger sample size and longitudinal design, are needed to confirm these findings.

Adherence to the vegetarian diet may increase the risk of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

CONTEXT

Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association between a vegetarian diet and risk of depression, but because of inconsistency between studies, the exact association remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the relationship between vegetarian diets and risk of depression in observational studies was evaluated.

DATA SOURCES

The Medline, Embase, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception through September 1, 2020.

STUDY SELECTION

Observational studies were included that examined mean levels of depression and risk for depression in vegetarians compared with nonvegetarians.

DATA EXTRACTION

Pooled effect sizes were estimated using the random-effects model and were reported as standardized mean differences or odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95%CIs. Heterogeneity was tested using the I2 statistic.

RESULTS

Combining 9 effect sizes in this meta-analysis illustrated that adherence to a vegetarian diet was associated with a 53% greater risk of depression compared with that of omnivores (95%CI, 1.14-2.07; I2 = 69.1%). Subgroup analysis of depression risk suggested that results depended on the type of vegetarian diet and country where the study was conducted. For studies that assessed a semivegetarian diet (OR, 1.86; 95%CI, 1.42-2.44; I2 = 35.7%) and those conducted in Europe and the United States (OR, 1.45; 95%CI, 1.06-1.98; I2 = 73.2%), there was a positive association between a vegetarian diet and depression, but in lacto-ovo vegetarians and Asian countries, a null association was found. Comparing mean depression scores showed no evidence of difference between vegetarians and nonvegetarians (n = 16; standardized mean difference, 0.10; 95%CI, -0.01 to 0.21; I2 = 79.1%).

CONCLUSION

Vegetarian diet significantly increased depression risk; however, the findings were not robust, and more studies are required to investigate the vegetarian diet and depression association.

Orthorexic tendencies moderate the relationship between semi-vegetarianism and depressive symptoms

PURPOSE

Vegetarianism and semi-vegetarianism (i.e., overly vegetarian diet with rare consumption of meat) have been repeatedly linked with depression. As the nature of this association is unclear, we explored whether orthorexic (i.e., pathologically healthful eating) tendencies and ecological/ethical motives to follow a vegetarian diet may moderate the relationship between (semi-)vegetarian diets and depressive symptoms.

METHODS

Five-hundred eleven adults (63.4% females; 71.2% omnivores, 19.2% semi-vegetarians, 9.6% vegetarians) completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) questionnaire-measuring depressive symptoms-and the Düsseldorf Orthorexia Scale (DOS)-measuring orthorexic tendencies. Based on respective questions, participants were categorized as omnivores, semi-vegetarians, and vegetarians (including vegans) and were asked to indicate whether they chose their diet based on ecological/ethical motives. Moderation analyses were carried out with PROCESS.

RESULTS

Adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index, there was a statistically significant interaction effect between diet (omnivore vs. semi-vegetarianism vs. vegetarianism) and DOS scores when predicting PHQ depression scores. At low or medium DOS scores, diets did not differ in PHQ depression scores (all ps > 0.05). At high DOS scores, however, semi-vegetarians had higher PHQ depression scores than both omnivores (p = 0.002) and vegetarians (p < 0.001). The interaction between diet and ecological/ethical eating motives when predicting PHQ depression scores was not statistically significant (p = 0.41).

CONCLUSION

Semi-vegetarians with strong orthorexic tendencies show more depressive symptoms than omnivores and vegetarians. The complex nature of the relationship between vegetarianism and depression requires further investigation.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III, case-control analytic studies.

Nutrition and behavioral health disorders: depression and anxiety

Suboptimal nutrition has been implicated in the underlying pathology of behavioral health disorders and may impede treatment and recovery. Thus, optimizing nutritional status should be a treatment for these disorders and is likely important for prevention. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe the global burden and features of depression and anxiety, and summarize recent evidence regarding the role of diet and nutrition in the prevention and management of depression and anxiety. Current evidence suggests that healthy eating patterns that meet food-based dietary recommendations and nutrient requirements may assist in the prevention and treatment of depression and anxiety. Randomized controlled trials are needed to better understand how diet and nutrition-related biological mechanisms affect behavioral health disorders, to assist with the development of effective evidence-based nutrition interventions, to reduce the impact of these disorders, and promote well-being for affected individuals.

Ketogenic diet as a potential intervention for lipedema

Lipedema (LI) is a common yet misdiagnosed condition, often misconstrued with obesity. LI affects women almost exclusively, and its painful and life-changing symptoms have long been thought to be resistant to the lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise. In this paper, we discuss possible mechanisms by which patients adopting a ketogenic diet (KD) can alleviate many of the unwanted clinical features of LI. This paper is also an effort to provide evidence for the hypothesis of the potency of this dietary intervention for addressing the symptoms of LI. Specifically, we examine the scientific evidence of effectiveness of adopting a KD by patients to alleviate clinical features associated with LI, including excessive and disproportionate lower body adipose tissue (AT) deposition, pain, and reduction in quality of life (QoL). We also explore several clinical features of LI currently under debate, including the potential existence and nature of edema, metabolic and hormonal dysfunction, inflammation, and fibrosis. The effectiveness of a KD on addressing clinical features of LI has been demonstrated in human studies, and shows promise as an intervention for LI. We hope this paper leads to an improved understanding of optimal nutritional management for patients with LI and stimulates future research in this area of study.

The Role of Diet, Eating Behavior, and Nutrition Intervention in Seasonal Affective Disorder: A Systematic Review

Background: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a biological and mood disorder with a seasonal pattern. Dietary intervention and nutritional status have been reported to affect SAD severity. The objective of this study was to systematically review the evidence of associations between SAD and diet, eating behavior, and nutrition intervention. Methods: We performed a comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar from inception up to July 1, 2019. Studies that examined diet and eating behaviors in SAD patients and tests of nutrition interventions for SAD were included. Two independent investigators extracted data based on study designs, participants, outcomes, exposures, and association measures. Results: Eleven studies were included: six studies examined distinctive dietary patterns and eating behaviors in SAD patients and five studies explored the efficacy of nutrition interventions for SAD. Vegetarianism and alcoholism were associated with higher SAD prevalence, but normal alcohol intake was not correlated with SAD severity. Compared with non-clinical subjects, SAD patients tended to consume significantly larger dinners and more evening snacks during weekdays and weekends and exhibit a higher frequency of binge eating, external eating, and emotional eating. Additionally, compared to healthy controls, SAD patients presented more cravings for starch-rich food and food with high fiber. However, neither the ingestion of carbohydrate-loaded meals nor Vitamin D/B12 supplementation showed benefit for SAD. Conclusion: Studies suggest that SAD patients may exhibit distinctive diet preferences and eating behaviors, but no current nutrition intervention has demonstrated efficacy for ameliorating SAD symptoms. Further evidence is needed from randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and longer durations.