Abstract
Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, with more than 264 million people affected. On average, depression first appears during the late teens to mid-20s as result of a complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors. The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis is to assess the association between red and processed meat intake and depression (both incident and prevalent). This systematic review was conducted according to the methods recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Relevant papers published through March 2020 were identified by searching the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus. All analyses were conducted using ProMeta3 software. A critical appraisal was conducted. Finally, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. The overall effect size (ES) of depression for red and processed meat intake was 1.08 [(95% CI = 1.04; 1.12), p-value < 0.001], based on 241,738 participants. The results from our meta-analysis showed a significant association between red and processed meat intake and risk of depression. The presented synthesis will be useful for health professionals and policy makers to better consider the effect of diet on mental health status.
Highlights
The following systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted according to the methods recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration [33] and to the Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines [34], and the process and results were documented according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses [35] guidelines [36]
Won et al, reported data stratified by age groups (19–29; 30–49; 50–64 years), and for this reason, it was considered separately [67], resulting in 24 datasets being included in the meta-analysis
The pooled data obtained from this meta-analysis suggest that red and processed meat intake might potentially be a risk factor for depression, with a small but significant increment of depression risk (ES = 1.08 [(95% CI = 1.04; 1.12), p-value < 0.001], based on
Summary
Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, with more than 264 million people affected [1]. One in six people (16.6%) experiences depression at some time in their life, more likely for women than men [2]. Depressive symptoms are often overlooked and untreated, and they are accompanied by poorer functioning compared to medical conditions [3,4]. Depression can increase the perception of poor health, the utilization of health care services and costs, as well as the burden on patients’ families and caregivers [5]. Depression can lead to suicide, the second leading cause of death in 15–29-year-olds [6]
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