The goalposts on healthy diet are constantly shifting.
Which means our understanding of the health benefits of red meat consumption is constantly shifting as well.
For years, red meat consumption has been associated, in people’s minds at least, with a host of health issues, right or wrong.
But as time goes on and science digs deeper, we may be finding a number of health benefits left on the table if red meat is taken off of it.
Mental health could be one of those benefits.
A study conducted out of Australia sought to determine any possible correlation between mental health outcomes and red meat consumption in women.
To do so, they used a sample of over 1,000 women, randomly selected, between the ages of 20-93.
They compared red meat intakes with self-reported major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders.
Here’s the stunner.
Those who consumed less than the recommended weekly red meat intake (identified as 3-4 servings per week) had more than double the odds of having major depressive disorder than those who consumed the recommended intake.
Double.
They were also found to be nearly twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder.
Importantly, they found no association between other forms of proteins and mental health outcomes, indicating the associations were not necessarily a result of protein consumption, but perhaps due to some other element of red meat composition.
Also perhaps just as importantly, they found that red meat intake that was higher than the recommended amount also resulted in a higher likelihood of having a depressive disorder.
Perhaps balance is once a gain key.
With this being just one study, more need to be done to either replicate these results or refine them in order to provide specific recommendations.
However, there is a lot here to chew on. So talk to your doctor about what is the most appropriate diet for you and hopefully take your physical and mental health to another level.
In the meantime, here’s to you getting healthier and happier every day!
Reference: https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/334910
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