Abstract
Previous studies have shown that people benefit more from vegetarian or vegan diets than from an omnivorous diet, not only in physical but also in mental health. Studies have also reported substantial evidence that particular disorders can be triggered by preferred food choices. For example, consumption of animal products increases the intake of arachidonic acid which can induce depressive moods. On the other hand, nutrition can have positive effects, e.g. polyunsaturated N-3 fatty acids have several somatic health benefits not only on cardiovascular diseases, but also on depression. Similarly, a diet with a high content of tryptophan (a serotonin predecessor) can change mood by altering the synthesis of different neurotransmitters. In this pilot study, (i) omnivores (n=45), (ii) vegetarians (n=13) and (iii) vegans (n=7) were compared for their levels of satisfaction in everyday life, as measured on the Oxford Happiness Scale. The effect of oestrogen was analysed as a confounding variable. Between the three styles of nutrition, only small differences were found. All groups achieved an average of more than 4 points on a 6-stage Likert-scale (1=not happy, 6 = very happy), which lies in the range of moderately happy. The mean score of all three groups was 4.30 ±0.84. The difference between the omnivore, (4.23 ±0.69) and the vegetarian groups, (4.29 ±1.24) was very small, but the vegan group achieved a score well above 5, (5.20 ±0.17). In an ANCOVA, the effect of nutrition style on happiness was close to being significant, [p=0.066]. In addition, estimated oestrogen level had significant effects on satisfaction in everyday life, [p=0.047]. Conclusion: Further research on a larger sample is justified to determine if life satisfaction is influenced by nutrition style when controlled for oestrogen levels.
Highlights
Lack of life satisfaction is closely linked to depression and other emotional disorders
This article focuses on the relationship between diet, onset of emotional disorders, and experimental data that suggest that proper nutrition may have an essential function in explaining vitality and avoiding depression
One possible explanation for why plant-based nutrition leads to increased happiness levels may be that it has always represented the major component of the human diet
Summary
Lack of life satisfaction is closely linked to depression and other emotional disorders. Marx and co-authors (2017) published an overview of the nutritional-psychiatry field. They found that neurobiological mechanisms are modulated by the type of diet. According to these authors, potential biological pathways, which are related to mental disorders, include inflammation, oxidative stress, the gut microbiome, epigenetic modifications and neuroplasticity. Consistent epidemiological evidence, for depression, suggests an association between measures of diet quality and mental health (Sánchez-Villegas, 2018). Regular intake of “nutraceuticals”, which are products to provide extra health benefits (as e.g., additional vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, n-3 fatty acids, folate, S-adenosylmethionine, N-acetyl cysteine and probiotics) are promising avenues for future research (Marx et al, 2018)
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