Harvard doctor hits veganism: ‘The brain needs meat’

A leading nutrition expert says meat is essential for preventing depression and anxiety, dealing a blow to veganism, the Daily Mail notes.

Dr. Georgia Ede, a Harvard-educated nutritional and metabolic psychiatrist, studies the relationship between what we eat and our mental and physical health. And despite the health halo the vegan diet has acquired over the past few years, she argues that cutting out meat can be detrimental to mental health.

“The brain needs meat,” she told KIRO News Radio. “We’re used to hearing that meat is bad for our overall health, including our brain health, and plants are really the best way to nourish and protect our brains. But the truth is: In fact, everything is turned upside down.”

Dr Ede argues that while getting enough protein has long been a challenge in the vegan diet, there is more to eating meat than just protein.

“It’s really not so much about protein as it is about all the other nutrients that are in meat,” she said. “You can meet your protein needs with a vegan and vegetarian diet if you plan it carefully.”

Proteins are made of chemicals called amino acids, which build and repair muscles and bones, writes the Daily Mail. While animal products such as eggs, meat, cheese and Greek yogurt are rich in protein, it can also be found in vegan dishes such as lentils and broccoli.

“But many other essential nutrients are much more difficult, and in some cases impossible, to obtain from plants,” says Dr. Ede. She noted that meat is “the only food that contains all the nutrients we need in the proper form, and is also the safest food for maintaining blood sugar and insulin levels.” These nutrients include vitamin B12, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc, choline, iron and iodine.

Vitamin B12, for example, helps in the formation of oxygen-rich red blood cells and DNA. However, it is also linked to the regulation of mood-boosting serotonin, and low serotonin levels are associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety, the Daily Mail highlights.

Additionally, a review in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology found that lower zinc levels were associated with depression, as zinc can reduce inflammation in the brain.

Several studies have shown that meat eaters have better mental health. A 2021 systematic review of 18 studies compared meat eaters and non-meat eaters. The study included 160,257 people aged 11 to 96 years (53 percent of whom were women), including 149,559 meat eaters and 8,584 meat avoiders.

Of these, 11 studies found that a meat-free diet was associated with poorer mental health. One of these studies found that vegetarians had a 35.2% chance of developing severe depression, compared to 19.1% for meat eaters.

Additionally, vegetarians had a 31.5 percent chance of developing an anxiety disorder, compared to 18.4 percent for meat eaters.

One study published in 2022 surveyed 14,000 Brazilians aged 35 to 74 and found that those who ate a vegan diet were twice as likely to experience depression – even if their nutrient intake was lower the same as in carnivores.

And a meta-analysis published in 2020, including 160,000 meat eaters and 8,500 meat abstainers, also found that those who eliminated meat from their diet were significantly more likely to experience depression.

Although the vegan diet has gained a health halo over the years, new research suggests that a vegan diet may have other long-term health effects.

For example, a 2023 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) analyzed more than 500 studies and concluded that animal food sources are “critical sources of much-needed nutrients.” The agency noted that these macro- and micronutrients are difficult to find “in the required quality and quantity” when following a vegan diet. In addition, meat, eggs and milk are “especially necessary” for children, youth and the elderly, as well as pregnant and lactating women.

A 2019 article also noted that vitamin B12 deficiency, which is more common in vegans, may increase the risk of stroke. This is because its absence prevents the removal of proteins from the bloodstream, leading to inflammation, which in turn increases the likelihood of blood vessel damage. This is a key risk factor for stroke. Adults require about 2.4 mg of vitamin B12 per day to function properly, according to U.S. officials.