Mental health link to red meat

Eating less than the recommended amount of red meat – or consuming too much – both relate to depression and anxiety in women.

Deakin University health researchers investigated the relationship between the consumption of beef and lamb and the presence of depressive and anxiety disorders in more than 1,000 women in the state of Victoria.

They found women consuming less than the recommended amount of red meat were twice as likely to have a diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorder as those consuming the recommended amount.

But Associate Professor Felice Jacka says itis  also not a good idea to eat too much red meat.

“We found that regularly eating more than the recommended amount of red meat was also related to increased depression and anxiety.”

The researchers originally thought that red meat might not be good for mental health, as other studies had found red meat consumption to be associated with physical health risks.

“It turns out that it actually may be quite important,” Jacka says.

“Even when we took into account the overall healthiness of the women’s diets, as well as other factors such as their socioeconomic status, physical activity levels, smoking, weight and age, the relationship between low red meat intake and mental health remained.”

The research team found 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,” Jacka says. 

“Only 19 women in the study were vegetarians, and the results were the same when they were excluded from the study analyses.”

Given the results, Jacka believes following the recommended weekly intake of red meat could boost our mental health.

“We already know that the overall quality of your diet is important to mental health,” she says. “But it seems that eating a moderate amount of lean red meat, which is roughly 3-4 small, palm-sized serves a week, may also be important.”

Jacka suggests sticking with grass fed meats.

“We know that red meat in Australia is a healthy product as it contains high levels of nutrients, including the omega-3 fatty acids that are important to mental and physical health.