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Meta-Analysis
. 2020 Sep 14;17(18):6686.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186686.

Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Daniele Nucci  1 , Cristina Fatigoni  2 , Andrea Amerio  3   4   5 , Anna Odone  6 , Vincenza Gianfredi  6   7
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Red and Processed Meat Consumption and Risk of Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Daniele Nucci et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, with more than 264 million people affected. On average, depression first appears during the late teens to mid-20s as result of a complex interaction of social, psychological and biological factors. The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis is to assess the association between red and processed meat intake and depression (both incident and prevalent). This systematic review was conducted according to the methods recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Relevant papers published through March 2020 were identified by searching the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus. All analyses were conducted using ProMeta3 software. A critical appraisal was conducted. Finally, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. The overall effect size (ES) of depression for red and processed meat intake was 1.08 [(95% CI = 1.04; 1.12), p-value < 0.001], based on 241,738 participants. The results from our meta-analysis showed a significant association between red and processed meat intake and risk of depression. The presented synthesis will be useful for health professionals and policy makers to better consider the effect of diet on mental health status.

Keywords: depression; meta-analysis; processed meat; red meat.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the selection process. From: Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med 6(7): e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed1000097 [35].
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Forest plot, and (b) funnel plot of the meta-analysis assessing the association between meat intake and depression. ES, effect size; CI, confidence interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Forest plot of the meta-analysis assessing the association between meat intake and depression, only including studies that used validated tools to assess meat intake; (b) forest plot and meta-analysis assessing the association between meat intake and prevalent depression (only including case-control and cross-sectional studies); (c) forest plot and meta-analysis assessing the association between meat intake and incident depression (only including longitudinal studies). ES, effect size; CI, confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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