Large vegan sample reports less anxiety and stress than omnivores (823.3)

Studies investigating mood in vegetarian diets have yielded conflicting results, either demonstrating risk for mental disorders or mood protection. We examined mood and diet in a large community sample of adult vegans (n=227) and omnivores (n=221). Participants completed an online survey which included the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale‐21. The sample was mostly female (78%), so one‐way between‐groups ANCOVAs were conducted in both males and females to compare the effect of diet type on DASS scores, adjusting for age. Age had a significant relationship with DASS‐Anxiety and DASS‐Stress scores (ω2 < .06). There was a difference in mean DASS‐A scores in males, F(1,105)=8.89, p=.004, ω2=.08, with vegans reporting lower anxiety scores than omnivores (2.81±0.40 vs 5.74±1.0); a vegan diet (r=‐.311) and daily fruit and vegetable intake (r=‐.246) were inversely related to anxiety in males. There was also a difference in mean DASS‐S scores in females, F(1,380)=6.22, p=.013, ω2=.02, with vegans reporting lower stress scores than omnivores (8.14±0.47 vs 10.31±0.61); a vegan diet (r=‐.126) and plant omega‐3 intake (r=‐.158) were inversely related to stress in females. The apparent mood protection of a vegan diet may be gender‐specific.