Vegetarians consuming plant-based meat alternatives may face increased risks of depression and inflammation, though these foods lower IBS risk. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and their broader implications.
Evidence is growing that ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can harm our health. But what if you follow a vegetarian diet? Are UPFs still a concern?
Plant-Based Meat Alternatives (PBMAs), a common choice among vegetarians, are classified as ultra-processed foods and may carry similar risks.
A groundbreaking study published in Food Frontiers by researchers from the University of Surrey found that vegetarians who consumed PBMAs faced a 42% higher risk of depression compared to vegetarians who avoided these products.
The study, which was led by Hana Navratilova, analyzed data from the UK Biobank and found no notable differences in intake of sodium, free sugar, total sugar, or saturated fatty acids between those vegetarians who ate PBMAs and those who did not. The researchers did find, however, that those who eat PBMAs had higher blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, a marker of inflammation, and lower levels of apolipoprotein A, a protein associated with HDL, a “good” cholesterol; PBMA consumption was, however, also linked to a reduced risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by 40%.
Expert Perspectives and Study Limitations
Professor Nophar Geifman, from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Surrey, and senior author of the study, said: “The overall findings are reassuring, suggesting that plant-based meat alternatives may be a safe option when they are part of an overall balanced diet. However, the potential link between these types of food, inflammation, and depression warrants further investigation.”
The study presented some limitations due to the data collected, which was predominantly from a white population in the UK, and dietary information only being gathered at the beginning of the study, not accounting for potential changes over time.
Professor Anthony Whetton, co-author of the study from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Surrey, said:
“Ultra-processed plant-based meat alternatives can be a useful way for people to transition to a vegetarian diet effectively, and that helps with sustainable agricultural practices. Further research, including longitudinal studies and trials with more diverse populations, is necessary to confirm these findings and the relationship between vegetarian foods and mood.”
Reference: “Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Intake and Its Association With Health Status Among Vegetarians of the UK Biobank Volunteer Population” by Hana F. Navratilova, Anthony D. Whetton and Nophar Geifman, 16 December 2024, Food Frontiers.
DOI: 10.1002/fft2.532
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42 Comments
I would definitely be depressed if I was eating this crap.
I came here to say the same thing. I tried vegan sausage a few weeks ago and it was disgusting. I couldn’t even force myself to swallow it. I would be seriously depressed too.
Not surprising in the slightest.
Plant based meat is not an alternative at the moment. Pricing is not equivalent or better than real meat. Not to mention those comments about extra supplements required. As for those vegan people who abuse us regular people – pushing your message like a nagging wife is only going to cause the opposite. I am off to have a real neater burger with bacon. Your nagging has just killed 2 animals. Hope you feel better.
I love Beyond Meat, as it not only taste great but decreases cancer risk, is easier for me to digest and increases my fiber intake. I supplement to make make sure I get my protein by eating protein bars, and I take time-releases, 200 mg 5-htp and mucuna pruriens to make sure I have optimum levels of serotonin and dopamine, relatively.
Protein bars are just glorified candy bars these days. They certainly don’t represent healthy eating. Have you checked your glucose blood readings recently?
My first thought is that people who eat a lot of fake meat may already be depressed which is why they don’t feel like spending time preparing whole foods. You would probably find the same among the meat eating population who eat a lot of fast foods or frozen food dinners.
You must have lost your sense of taste and smell.
What’s size is the study group? What parameters were set surrounding other potential.causes for the depression? Was there any research done into the people in the trial to look for a pre disposition to depression, previous cases I could go on. Such a crock of shit scare mongering headline. Regardless of any claimed health implications by the research funded and pushed by farmers unions and big meat worldwide PBMA’s are better for you than eating meat! Stop crying into your steak burger because you can’t face change and open you mind a bit
Many people who eat fake meat are doing so for ethical reasons, to avoid animal suffering. However, I have always found it ironic that vegans would want to eat something that resembles meat. If meat is evil, then fake meat is glorifying evil. Plant eaters should eat plants without making their food look like animal flesh to be more appetizing. On the other hands, maybe this shows that humans are basically carnivores, and need to fool themselves into eating plants by making them look like “real” food.
Well said.
Most vegans enjoy the flavour of meat, but choose not to be part of animal cruelty associated with meat production
Therefore plant based alternatives are enjoyable, all the flavour, none of the horror.
I actually also feel it isn’t the plant based meat alternatives that cause depression, but the continued slaughter of billions of animals, that make vegans depressed.
except the HORRER of killing all those defenseless plants, they have feeelings too you know.
murderer
People like me are raised eating meat so it helps substitute the recipes we grew up with. My child which never had eaten meat in their life does not desire the replacement but in fact preferred only fruits and vegetables.
Meat tastes good, but I don’t like the place it comes from. If I can eat something that tastes similar without animals dying, why not?
Of course!
It’s not like plants and a plant based diet is horrible
Being depressed because we live in a pathologically normal society that acts like some weird, deformed, vampire hybrid and wants blood dripping out of their mouths, is perfectly warranted over eating cadavers of animals who were raised in unnatural, filthy, distressing prisons, concentration camps called “farms” to be chopped up into pieces and devoured!
I’m depressed to have learned how few people have empathy for all animals but cringe at the thought of eating puppies, even though all animals experience suffering and pain as WE do!
It’s damn depressing to look around at the masses, eating their diseases, risking zoonotic viruses, caring so pathetically little about the torture of animals or the ecocide underway from animal agriculture. I’d say those who are not depressed, are emotional robots, zombies, with an impaired frontal lobe that must be saturated with animal fat to INHIBIT their capacity for compassion.
“I’m depressed…”
Sounds like it, and I don’t think you’ll be happy until the rest of us are too.
Absolutely spot on. My depression stems from the same, not plant basedsausages.
If meat eaters spent a day inside a slaughterhouse or saw how some animals are cruelly raised, I suspect that there would be more vegetarians the day after.
Absolutely spot on. My depression stems from the same, not plant based.sausages.
http://www.meat.org
http://www.weanimals.org
http://www.watchdominion.com
http://www.eatinganimalscausespandemics.com
Anyone with a conscience should be depressed at a society that chooses disease over health, and ignores what is manifest in every horror story in the news today, the human/animal violence connection.
But you’re fine with murdering plants.
Oh please!!!!
“Please” what? Murder is murder. There are no two ways about it. You’re murdering plants for food.
One moment they’re outside, enjoying their life, the next one they’re in your stomach so you can continue to enjoy yours.
Taken to its illogical extremes, you would have to conclude that loggers are commiting genocide by harvesting/clearcutting huge tracts of living trees (and for money, no less). Presumably, you think they should all go straight to Hades, along with me and other plant “murderers” – unless, of course, you were just being facetious.
Exactly.
The depression is more likely to be related to the daily struggle to make ends meet. People are working longer hours for less money, and often little to no time off. One financial crisis or medical emergency can bankrupt people. Childcare is very expensive, and virtually inaccessible in many areas if the country. Beyond Meat and products like it are at least a choice you can make. Many people don’t have many choices to improve anything in their lives for a better quality of life.
Sounds like one veggieburger company has found this article and the comment-section a golden opportunity to flog their fakemeat product.
Beyond Depressing
There’s no accurate information here. Everything cited has already been debunked as false.
Well this article sure ruffled some vegan feathers.
How so, it doesn’t compare plant based meat to real meat. It compares plant based meat vegetarians to vegetarians eating a whole foods diet. People don’t know how to read. We already knew that whole plant foods are better than processed ones. That’s a no brainer. We need more studies comparing plant based meat to real meat.
Conclusion from this study is that eating tofu, beans, and lentils are better than eating processed vegan burgers. Which from other studies are better than eating real burgers.
What bull*^%# These “studies” are paid for by the meat industry. Not surprising. They are threatened.
My guess is its high w6 seed oils degraded by heat causing the inflammation. They should be banned based on what we know. Make you fat, give you heart disease, cancer..
I get really mad at people spinning this simply for sustainability, they are willing to ruin peoples health and even kill them for sustainabitity. Its all lies. The problem is not meat, its processing of foods, its higly preserved factory food made as cheaply as possible. 90 percent of food in grocery store is over priced junk. Food should be kept simple and basic as possible, find out what you like and learn to prepare it properly. If you count on someone else to prepare it then you cannot get the healthiest food.
I’ll continue to eat “real” chicken, fish and a weekly NZ raised Venison burger plus a nightly robust salad of 7-8 items with no dressing, just a little salt & pepper, thank you.
I’m 73, do twice weekly hike/jogs of around 10 miles, often climbing 1500+ feet during each, do 3 gym workouts weekly and have a resting BPM of 51.
I’ll continue to eat “real” chicken, fish and a weekly NZ raised Venison burger plus a nightly robust salad of 7-8 items with no dressing, just a little salt & pepper, thank you.
I’m 73, do twice weekly hike/jogs of around 10 miles, often climbing 1500+ feet during each, do 3 gym workouts weekly and have a resting BPM of 51.
Ten miles? Better check that pedometer again.
You think the number is low? I track everything in Strava and Excel and could prove what I post.
I just looked at my yearly Strava numbers. In 2024, I had 72 activities covering 600 miles while gaining 90k ft over 180 hours.
Since 2016, I have accumulated 620 Strava activities.
I should be someone’s research subject for older people! [lol]
This is clearly click bait. Ultra processed food of any kind is unhealthy and lacking in proper nutrition.
If you are going to write crap like this you are responsible for clearly identify the specifics surrounding the study, how it was conducted, and how they substantiate their findings. Is the conclusion specific to plant-based ultra processed foods? If not then the study should have continued to determine the true issue at hand.
Factory farming and our attempts to try and force animals to survive in the worst possible conditions eating what is considered to be unsuitable for human consumption food, pumped full of antibiotics and steroids, then slaughtered and processed with stabilizers, and preservatives.
If you’re interested in sharing real third-party verified study data there are about 80 years worth of them available that conclude that the impacts of factory farming and consuming meat have adverse impacts on the environment, our health, the food system, and leads to more and more extreme measures to perpetuate the system.
Looks like another paid study by the cattle industry, not to mention all the fake comments left here, by the meat industrys paid lobbyists.
You know who you are, selling you souls for the $$$!
And this article so happens to be written by a university whose research is sponsored by the agri-food industry (RICHFIELDS). They’re funded by people pushing “quality meat products”. Just look who they work with. Usually articles this bland in their “research” have alternative motives.
In other words, this is fake.
Baloney. Eating plant-based foods does not cause depression. Any moderately educated person knows “study” data can be manipulated. If you’re okay with murdering animals, knock yourself out. You know what really is depressing? Knowing that way too many people are okay with torture and murder of animals and people.