IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i4p3258-d1066628.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Association between Vegan, Vegetarian, and Omnivore Diet Quality and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Author

Listed:
  • Hayley Walsh

    (Gold Coast Campus, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4226, Australia)

  • Megan Lee

    (Gold Coast Campus, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4226, Australia
    NeuroHealth Lab, Appleton Institute, School of Health, Medical and Applied Science, Central Queensland University, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia)

  • Talitha Best

    (NeuroHealth Lab, Appleton Institute, School of Health, Medical and Applied Science, Central Queensland University, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia)

Abstract

Dietary patterns and depressive symptoms are associated in cross-sectional and prospective-designed research. However, limited research has considered depression risk related to meat-based and plant-based dietary patterns. This study explores the association between diet quality and depressive symptoms across omnivore, vegan, and vegetarian dietary patterns. A cross-sectional online survey utilised the Dietary Screening Tool (DST) and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies of Depression Scale (CESD-20) to measure diet quality and depressive symptoms, respectively. A total of 496 participants identified as either omnivores ( n = 129), vegetarians ( n = 151), or vegans ( n = 216). ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc corrections indicates that dietary quality was significantly different between groups F(2, 493) = 23.61, p < 0.001 for omnivores and vegetarians and omnivores and vegans. Diet quality was highest in the vegan sample, followed by vegetarian and omnivore patterns. The results show a significant, moderately negative relationship between higher diet quality and lower depressive symptoms (r = −0.385, p < 0.001) across groups. Hierarchical regression showed that diet quality accounted for 13% of the variability in depressive symptoms for the omnivore sample, 6% for vegetarians, and 8% for vegans. This study suggests that diet quality in a meat-based or plant-based diet could be a modifiable lifestyle factor with the potential to reduce the risk of depressive symptoms. The study indicates a greater protective role of a high-quality plant-based diet and lower depressive symptoms. Further intervention research is needed to understand the bi-directional relationship between diet quality and depressive symptoms across dietary patterns.

Suggested Citation

  • Hayley Walsh & Megan Lee & Talitha Best, 2023. "The Association between Vegan, Vegetarian, and Omnivore Diet Quality and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-12, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:3258-:d:1066628
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/3258/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/4/3258/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniele Nucci & Cristina Fatigoni & Andrea Amerio & Anna Odone & Vincenza Gianfredi, 2020. "Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-20, September.
    2. Megan F. Lee & Douglas Angus & Hayley Walsh & Sally Sargeant, 2023. "“Maybe it’s Not Just the Food?” A Food and Mood Focus Group Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-12, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Daniele Nucci & Vincenza Gianfredi & Pietro Ferrara & Omar Enzo Santangelo & Beatrice Varotto & Alessandra Feltrin & Antonella Galiano & Mariateresa Nardi, 2023. "Association between Malnutrition and Depression in Patients with Cancer: The Importance of Nutritional Status Evaluation in Cancer Care," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-10, January.
    2. Daniele Nucci & Omar Enzo Santangelo & Sandro Provenzano & Cristina Fatigoni & Mariateresa Nardi & Pietro Ferrara & Vincenza Gianfredi, 2021. "Dietary Fiber Intake and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-20, November.
    3. Daniele Nucci & Mariateresa Nardi & Andrea Cinnirella & Emanuela Campagnoli & Manuel Maffeo & Pier Mario Perrone & Viktoriia Shishmintseva & Francesca Maria Grosso & Ambra Castrofino & Silvana Castald, 2023. "Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-24, January.
    4. Vincenza Gianfredi & Pietro Ferrara & Flavia Pennisi & Giulia Casu & Andrea Amerio & Anna Odone & Daniele Nucci & Monica Dinu, 2022. "Association between Daily Pattern of Physical Activity and Depression: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-12, May.
    5. Monica Dinu & Sofia Lotti & Antonia Napoletano & Abigail Corrao & Giuditta Pagliai & Marta Tristan Asensi & Vincenza Gianfredi & Daniele Nucci & Barbara Colombini & Francesco Sofi, 2022. "Association between Psychological Disorders, Mediterranean Diet, and Chronotype in a Group of Italian Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-11, December.
    6. Emma S. George & Ian Davidson & Aymen El Masri & Tanya Meade & Gregory S. Kolt, 2022. "Unhealthy Lifestyle Behaviours and Psychological Distress: A Longitudinal Study of Australian Adults Aged 45 Years and Older," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-12, April.
    7. Daniele Nucci & Omar Enzo Santangelo & Sandro Provenzano & Mariateresa Nardi & Alberto Firenze & Vincenza Gianfredi, 2022. "Altered Food Behavior and Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-15, August.
    8. Vincenza Gianfredi & Maddalena Buffoli & Andrea Rebecchi & Roberto Croci & Aurea Oradini-Alacreu & Giuseppe Stirparo & Alessio Marino & Anna Odone & Stefano Capolongo & Carlo Signorelli, 2021. "Association between Urban Greenspace and Health: A Systematic Review of Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-23, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:4:p:3258-:d:1066628. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.