TY - JOUR
T1 - Depression, Anxiety, Emotional Eating, and Body Mass Index among Self-Reported Vegetarians and Non-Vegetarians
T2 - A Cross-Sectional Study in Peruvian Adults
AU - Saintila, Jacksaint
AU - Carranza-Cubas, Sandra P.
AU - Serpa-Barrientos, Antonio
AU - Carranza Esteban, Renzo Felipe
AU - Cunza-Aranzábal, Denis Frank
AU - Calizaya-Milla, Yaquelin E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Background: Vegetarianism is commonly associated with various health benefits. However, the association between this dietary regimen and aspects of mental health remains ambiguous. This study compared the symptoms of depression and anxiety, emotional eating (EmE), and body mass index (BMI) in Peruvian vegetarian and non-vegetarian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 768 Peruvian adults, of whom 284 (37%) were vegetarians and 484 (63%) were non-vegetarians. The Depression Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2 (GAD-2), and an EmE questionnaire were applied; additionally, the BMI was calculated. Simple and multiple linear regression and Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to evaluate the association between depression, anxiety, EmE, and BMI with dietary patterns. Results: The vegetarians (Adjusted Prevalence Ratio [PR] = 0.24, 95% CI 0.16–0.31; p < 0.001) reported more depressive symptoms than the non-vegetarians. This trend persisted for anxiety, with an adjusted PR of 0.17 (95% CI: 0.01–0.29; p = 0.012). However, the vegetarians (adjusted PR = −0.38, 95% CI: −0.61–−0.14; p < 0.001) reported lower EmE scores compared to the non-vegetarians. Likewise, the vegetarians had a lower mean BMI than the non-vegetarians (B = −0.16, 95% CI: −0.21–−0.08; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Vegetarian diets are associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as lower EmE and BMI scores. Further longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate these associations and determine causality and the underlying mechanisms involved.
AB - Background: Vegetarianism is commonly associated with various health benefits. However, the association between this dietary regimen and aspects of mental health remains ambiguous. This study compared the symptoms of depression and anxiety, emotional eating (EmE), and body mass index (BMI) in Peruvian vegetarian and non-vegetarian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 768 Peruvian adults, of whom 284 (37%) were vegetarians and 484 (63%) were non-vegetarians. The Depression Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-2 (GAD-2), and an EmE questionnaire were applied; additionally, the BMI was calculated. Simple and multiple linear regression and Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to evaluate the association between depression, anxiety, EmE, and BMI with dietary patterns. Results: The vegetarians (Adjusted Prevalence Ratio [PR] = 0.24, 95% CI 0.16–0.31; p < 0.001) reported more depressive symptoms than the non-vegetarians. This trend persisted for anxiety, with an adjusted PR of 0.17 (95% CI: 0.01–0.29; p = 0.012). However, the vegetarians (adjusted PR = −0.38, 95% CI: −0.61–−0.14; p < 0.001) reported lower EmE scores compared to the non-vegetarians. Likewise, the vegetarians had a lower mean BMI than the non-vegetarians (B = −0.16, 95% CI: −0.21–−0.08; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Vegetarian diets are associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as lower EmE and BMI scores. Further longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate these associations and determine causality and the underlying mechanisms involved.
KW - anxiety
KW - body mass index
KW - depression
KW - dietary pattern
KW - emotional eating
KW - vegetarians
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85196596347&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/nu16111663
DO - 10.3390/nu16111663
M3 - Article
C2 - 38892596
AN - SCOPUS:85196596347
SN - 2072-6643
VL - 16
JO - Nutrients
JF - Nutrients
IS - 11
M1 - 1663
ER -