Study Finds Vegetarians Happier than Meat Eaters (2024)

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Study Finds Vegetarians Happier than Meat Eaters? ›

So they expected to find the vegetarians would have higher incidences of issues like depression, anxiety, and mood problems. Instead, they found the opposite result. Vegetarians scored lower on depression tests and had better mood profiles than their fish- and meat-eating peers.

Respondents were asked: “If you look back at the last year of your life, how would you rate your happiness on a scale from 1 to 10?” The average happiness rating was 6.9, with meat-eaters scoring the lowest happiness rating of 6.8 on a scale of 1 to 10 and vegans scoring 7 percent higher.

Vegetarian diets tend to have fewer calories, lower levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, and more fiber, potassium and vitamin C than other eating patterns. Vegetarians tend to weigh less than meat-eaters, and to have lower cancer rates.

A team of researchers at Loma Linda University in the United States has shown vegetarian men live for an average of 10 years longer than non-vegetarian men — 83 years compared to 73 years. For women, being vegetarian added an extra 6 years to their lives, helping them reach 85 years on average.

After two weeks, mood scores were unchanged for the fish- and meat-eating groups, but vegetarians reported significantly better moods and less stress. “Restricting meat, fish, and poultry improved … short-term mood state in modern omnivores,” the researchers concluded.

A meta-analysis on vegetarian diets and mental health identified only 13 eligible studies and concluded that vegan or vegetarian diets were associated with a higher risk of depression (odds ratio: 2.142; 95% CI: 1.105–4.148) and lower anxiety scores (mean difference: −0.847; 95% CI, −1.677–[−0.018]) in the whole sample ...

Vegetarians appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than meat eaters.

A vegetarian diet is healthful.

According to the American Dietetic Association, a vegetarian diet can meet protein requirements, provide all the essential amino-acids (the building blocks of protein), and provide all the necessary vitamins, fats, and minerals.

While studies have shown that a vegan diet (VD) may be associated with improved health outcomes [6,7], the negative health repercussions of these food preferences, on the other hand, are rarely highlighted, and veganism may be associated with negative health effects due to nutritional deficiencies.

Well, the short answer is yes! Unless they are vegan (meaning they don't eat dairy products, eggs, or any other products which are derived from animals), some vegetarians do eat eggs and belong to a group known as lacto-ovo-vegetarians which according to the Vegetarian Society is the most common type of meatless diet.

Do vegetarians age slower? ›

“We … found that adopting a plant-based dietary pattern, especially when rich in healthful plant foods, was associated with substantially lowered pace of aging,” concluded the study authors. Several studies in recent years that have pointed to the age-defying benefits of a plant-based diet.

In fact, in this study, vegetarians live six to nine years longer, which is a huge effect. But vegetarians are also more likely to exercise, be married, smoke less and drink less alcohol—all factors that also contribute to a longer life.

Typically, a plant-based diet is high in vitamin C, lysine and antioxidants, all of which help with the production of collagen at a cellular level. In turn, this helps the skin to stay supple and youthful-looking. Another aspect of a plant-based diet is a high level of beta-carotene.

Eight of the 13 studies demonstrated no differences between the groups on positive psychological functioning, three studies showed mixed results, and two studies showed that compared to meat abstainers, meat consumers had greater self-esteem, “positive mental health”, and “meaning in life”.

The main driver for going vegan or vegetarian, according to the study, is the environment, with 32% of the surveyed herbivores saying that protecting the environment was their biggest motive, and these were the people who had the highest happiness scores.

If we all gave up meat, around eight million fewer people would die each year, as a result of lower levels of heart disease, strokes and cancer. But most crops have lower levels of micronutrients per calorie than meat – especially vitamins A, B12 and D, and some essential fatty acids.

Eight of the 13 studies demonstrated no differences between the groups on positive psychological functioning, three studies showed mixed results, and two studies showed that compared to meat abstainers, meat consumers had greater self-esteem, “positive mental health”, and “meaning in life”.

Depressive episodes are more prevalent in individuals who do not eat meat, independently of socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. Nutrient deficiencies do not explain this association. The nature of the association remains unclear, and longitudinal data are needed to clarify causal relationship.

Research suggests that vegetarians tend to be more empathetic towards both humans and other animals than omnivores [30][31][32] [33] . Childhood pet ownership has been associated with higher levels of empathy towards animals [28], both of which have been associated with higher levels of meat avoidance [34]. ...

Moreover, individuals who followed vegetarian and vegan diets had lower levels of anxiety. However, when depression was analyzed as a categorical variable, vegetarians and vegans had a higher risk of depression [19].