ArticleBMJ nutrition, prevention & health2021
Plant-based dietary quality and depressive symptoms in Australian vegans and vegetarians: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ nutrition, prevention & health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
32 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Certainty of the Evidence on Plant- vs Meat-Predominant Dietary Patterns and Depression: An Umbrella Review.Nutrition reviews · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Barriers to Adopting a Plant-Based Diet in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- Trial
- Plant-based dietary indices and mental health: a cross-sectional study of a middle- to older-aged population.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Dietetic Prescriptions in Bipolar Disorder: Nutritional Strategies to Support Mood Stability and Reduce Relapse Risk-A Narrative Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Study protocol on effectiveness of a holistic lifestyle intervention using eHealth system for older adults with metabolic syndrome and psychosomatic symptoms: a randomized controlled trial.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Comparing diet-related attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of vegan and omnivorous adults: results from a cross-sectional survey study in Germany.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Polyphenols: A top-down approach to nutrition and depression.World journal of psychiatry · 2025Review
- Review
- Is trauma associated with plant-based diet choice?Appetite · 2025Article
- The intricate interplay between dietary habits and cognitive function: insights from the gut-brain axis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
- The role of nutrition and gut microbiome in childhood brain development and behavior.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Review
- Association between plant-based diets and depression in older adults with heart disease: the mediating role of sleep disturbances.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Effect of Moderate Red Meat Intake Compared With Plant-Based Meat Alternative on Psychological Well-Being: A 10-Wk Cluster Randomized Intervention in Healthy Young Adults.Current developments in nutrition · 2025Article
- Dietary fiber intake moderates the impact of blood cadmium on depression: a nationally representative cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet and incident depression and anxiety.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Ultra-Processed Foods and Mental Health: Where Do Eating Disorders Fit into the Puzzle?Nutrients · 2024Review
- Impact of vegetarianism on cognition and neuropsychological status among urban community-dwelling adults in Telangana, South India: a cross-sectional study.European journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Advancing Lifestyle Medicine in New York City's Public Health Care System.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Plant-based dietary patterns (vegan and vegetarian) are often considered 'healthy' and have been associated with broad health benefits, including decreased risk of obesity and ill health (cardiovascular disease, blood glucose and type II diabetes). However, the association between plant-based diets and mood disorders such as depression remains largely equivocal. This cross-sectional study of 219 adults aged 18-44 (M=31.22, SD=7.40) explored the associations between an estimate of overall plant-based diet quality and depression in vegans (n=165) and vegetarians (n=54). Overall plant-based diet quality was associated with depressive symptoms in vegans and vegetarians F(1, 215)=13.71, p<0.001 accounting for 6% of the variation in depressive symptoms. For those without depression, higher diet quality was protective against depressive symptoms F(1, 125)=6.49, p=0.012. Conversely, for those with depression no association with diet quality was found F(1, 89)=0.01, p=0.963. These findings suggest that a high-quality plant-based diet may be protective against depressive symptoms in vegans and vegetarians. In line with emerging research between food and mental health, higher-quality dietary patterns are associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms. Given the rapidly increasing rate of vegan and vegetarian food products within Australia, understanding the potential mechanisms of effects through which a plant-based diet may influence depressive symptoms is required.
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