Meat And Sausages Increase The Risk Of Depression

Not only do people who regularly consume red meat and sausages have an increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, and a shorter life expectancy, but they are also at greater risk of experiencing depression, as revealed in a meta-analysis published in the journal International journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

One of the key studies in the meta-analysis was conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, who found that people who had to be treated in the hospital for a manic episode ate meat and sausages much more often than other people who were mentally healthy. .

Meat and sausages increase the risk of depression

The meta-analysis evaluated 17 studies with a total of more than 240,000 participants and found a significant connection between the consumption of red meat and processed meat products and the risk of depression.

The aforementioned Johns Hopkins study has linked nitrates, the preservative additives found in virtually all meat products, with the frequency of mental breakdowns.

On the other hand, meat and processed meat products are high in fat, especially processed meat products, which have a negative impact on the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis and promote chronic inflammatory processes, which also affect the brain.

In addition, there is a relationship between the lifestyle of people who do not eat meat, follow a healthy diet and engage in physical exercise and greater protection against mental illness. On the other hand, people who eat more meat tend to be more sedentary and probably smoke.

Healthy eating improves depression

Depression is much more common than you think. Worldwide, 264 million people are affected and one in six people will experience a depressive phase at some point in their life.

At worst , depression can lead to death. Among 15-29 year olds, suicide is the second leading cause of death after accidents.

Of course, nutrition is not normally the deciding factor, but it can influence your mood. If the diet is bad, it can contribute to the development of depression or prevent it from being cured.

A Spanish study found, for example, that the risk of depression increased the less fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids were consumed.

There are studies in which depressed people were prescribed a healthy diet (which was always low in meats and sausages) to see if depression improved, and it was found that it did indeed, even in cases of major depression.

A third of the patients were even considered cured after three months. Two years later, another study appeared in which depressed participants felt significantly better after three weeks thanks to a change in diet.

How Diet Can Affect Depression

Diet helps with depression because nutrients are involved in the formation of neurotransmitters in the brain and also have an anti-inflammatory effect (depression leads to chronic inflammatory processes).

A good supply of nutrients is also required to regulate the so-called hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis for short, hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical), which controls the release of the stress hormone cortisol.

In case of stress, cortisol is released and once the stressful situation is over, the HPA axis decreases cortisol. But in the case of chronic stress, the reduction does not occur and can lead to many disorders in the body, including depression.

Neurogenesis (formation of new neurons) is also influenced by nutrient supply and it is known from animal studies that neurogenesis is decreased in depression.

Furthermore, as some research has proven, there is a connection between the state of the gut flora, gut health and the brain, and since a healthy diet also keeps the gut in good condition, this could be another key to the effect of the therapies nutritional information on depression.

Scientific references:

• Nucci et al. Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
• Khambadkone et al. Nitrated meat products are associated with mania in humans and altered behavior and brain gene expression in rats. Molecular Psychiatry.
• Almudena Sánchez-Villegas et al. Fast-food and commercial baked goods consumption and the risk of depression. Public Health Nutrition.
• Heather M Francis et al. A brief diet intervention can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults – A randomized controlled trial. PLosOne.
• Sandhu et al. Feeding the microbiota-gut-brain axis: Diet, microbiome, and neuropsychiatry. Translational Research.