According to a new study conducted by University Barwon Psychiatric Research Unit of Deakin’s University, found that women eating less than the recommended amounts of red meat were twice as likely to be diagnosed with either depression or an anxiety disorder .
It was reported that the relationship found in this study between red meat and mental wellbeing didn’t exist for other forms of protein, including pork, chicken, plant-based proteins or fish.
1000 women were surveyed to establish their daily red meat consumption, it was interesting that both eating too little or too much was associated with higher risk of being diagnosed with a mood disorder and are more likely to show symptoms of depression and anxiety .
The report published in the Journal Psychotherapy Psychosomatics, took into account the overall healthiness of each women’s diet and other factors such as their socioeconomic status, physical activity levels, smoking, weight and age which have been found to influence mental health. Despite taking these different potential causes into account, the link between low red meat intake and mental health remained.
It was recommended that lean grass fed, organic meat was best to eat as red meat from other sources may have other physical health implications that may out-weigh its benefit.
