Eating to live well—Or worse? The role of vegan and vegetarian diets in mental health.

This article examines the relationship between vegan and vegetarian diets and mental health, highlighting that current evidence does not establish a clear causal link between restrictive dietary patterns and psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety. It emphasizes that nutritionally adequate vegetarian diets—including ovo-lacto, pescatarian, and flexitarian patterns—can support physical and mental health without supplementation, whereas strict vegan diets require careful planning, supplementation, and medical supervision to avoid nutritional deficiencies that may lead to adverse health outcomes, especially during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood. The observed association between vegetarianism and higher rates of mental disorders may be confounded by factors such as sex, socioeconomic status, and the use of diet as self-treatment, rather than diet itself causing mental illness. Overall, the article concludes that when diets meet nutritional needs, the inclusion or exclusion of meat and animal products has little significant impact on health.