"Plant-based Meat" Linked to Depression

Vegetarians who consume “plant-based meat” alternatives have a 42% increased risk of depression compared to vegetarians who don’t eat them

In recent years manufacturers like Beyond and Impossible have seen their sales and share prices slump

Consumption of processed “plant-based meat” alternatives is linked to a significantly increased risk of depression, according to a new study of the eating habits of vegetarians.

The study, published in the journal Food Frontiers, found that vegetarians who consume “plant-based meat” alternatives have a 42% increased risk of depression compared to vegetarians who don’t eat them.

Researchers also found a link between “plant-based meat”and biomarkers of high blood pressure and inflammation, an immune response which, if unchecked, can cause various chronic health conditions.

“Plant-based meats” were once held up as the “future of food,” a health-, animal- and planet-friendly alternative to traditional meat, but in recent years manufacturers like Beyond and Impossible have seen their sales and share prices slump.

Consumer enthusiasm for these ersatz products has dried up and research has undermined their claims to be good for consumers and the planet. Consumer research has shown that customers know plant-based alternatives are not better for them and that they don’t taste better than the real thing.

A 2021 survey of Australian men suggested that over 70 percent of them would rather die ten years sooner than give up eating meat.

After multiple rounds of layoffs last year, Impossible was forced to take out a full-page ad in The New York Times to rebuff claims their product is just a “fad.”