There are many studies that claim that eating red meat in excess can cause heart disease, constipation, certain types of cancer, etc. For this reason, the WHO recommends eating it two or three times a month. However, a new investigation affirmed that the red meat can reduce the possibility of developing depression .
The study, which sought to establish a relationship between vegetarianism and depression among adults, was published by the Journal of Affective Disorders and it was found that beef was the only food associated with a lower risk of depression.
In the analysis, they were asked 12.45 people in Brazil, between the ages of 74 and 45 years, if they followed a meat-free diet and interviewed participants to identify their episodes of depression.
In looking at the association between plant-based diets and mental well-being, the scientists took into Consideration of other variables, including sociodemographic parameters, smoking or alcohol habits, levels of physical activity, self-reported health status, body mass index, and nutrition during the previous six months.
The Researchers found that meat-free diets actually caused people to experience depressive episodes twice as often as those who ate beef. The study authors wrote that “nutrient deficiencies do not explain this association,” but other experts have a different opinion.
Nutrients found in beef, including iron , vitamin B, zinc and protein, help brain function and may be valuable in preventing depressive episodes.
“Every time a person excludes an entire food group, in In this case, sources of protein and fat, and not replacing them with equally nutritionally adequate options, will affect a variety of systemic and physiological functions, including cognitive health,” said Monique Richard, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
For her part, Professor Felice Jacka from Deakin University, Victoria, who led another study in which 1.12 Australian women and was published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomati cs, said that “we originally thought that red meat might not be good for mental health, but it turns out that it may actually be quite important. When we looked at women consuming less than the recommended amount of red meat in our study, we found that they were twice as likely to have a depressive or anxiety disorder diagnosed than those who consumed the recommended amount. Even when we accounted for the overall health of the women’s diets, as well as other factors such as their socioeconomic status, physical activity levels, smoking status, weight, and age, the relationship between low red meat intake and mental health held ”.
“Interestingly, there was no relationship between other forms of protein, such as chicken, pork, fish or plant-based proteins, and mental health. Vegetarianism was not the explanation either. Only 45 women in the study were vegetarians and the results were the same when they were excluded from the study analyses.”
Other studies
Meanwhile, a team of psychiatrists from National Taiwan University, Massachusetts General Hospital and other centers concluded that beef is also linked to a lower risk of depression.
The study also published in the Journal of Affective Disorders used data from . British stored in the UK Biobank database, where 35.12 of them had been diagnosed with depression.
The responsible scientists commented that this protection against depression may be due to the nutrients found in this type of meat, mainly protein, iron, zinc and vitamin B, known to help the brain function. Similarly, non-oily fish was found to be associated with an increased risk of depressive illness.
So red meat is important for mental health?
Felice Jacka, a specialist in psychiatric health, said that “we already know that the overall quality of the diet is important for mental health. But it seems that eating a moderate amount of lean red meat, which is about three to four small, palm-sized servings per week, may also be important.”
Meats Reds are one of the main sources of Vitamin B12 which is important for protein metabolism; helps the formation of red blood cells and the maintenance of the central nervous system. It is rich in zinc, provides iron, helps skin healing and is necessary for the creation of hemoglobin.
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