Restriction of meat, fish, and poultry in omnivores improves mood: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the impact of restricting meat, fish, and poultry (and thus altering arachidonic acid intake) on mood state in omnivores.
Results Summary
Vegetarian participants reduced their arachidonic acid intake and showed significant improvements in mood scores after two weeks, while fish-consuming and omnivorous groups showed no mood changes. The study suggests that reducing arachidonic acid intake may improve short-term mood.
Population
39 omnivores randomly assigned to control, fish-consuming, or vegetarian groups.
Effective Dosage
Not specified (dietary intake assessed via food frequency questionnaire).
Duration
2 weeks
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
high intakes of arachidonic acid (AA) | neutral | brain | - | - | promote changes | #1 |
high intakes of arachidonic acid (AA) | decrease | mood | - | - | can disturb | #2 |
eating fish regularly | increase | intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) | omnivores | - | increase | #3 |
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) | decrease | negative effects of AA | - | - | oppose | #4 |
- | decrease | mood | omnivores | - | reported significantly worse | #5 |
restricting meat, fish, and poultry | increase | some domains of short-term mood state | modern omnivores | - | improved | #6 |
vegetarian diet (avoiding meat, fish, and poultry) | decrease | EPA, DHA, and AA intakes | VEG participants | - | reduced | #7 |
fish diet (consuming fish 3-4 times weekly but avoiding meat and poultry) | increase | EPA and DHA intakes | FISH participants | - | increased | #8 |
control diet (consuming meat, fish, and poultry daily) | no change | mood scores | OMN participants | - | unchanged | #9 |
fish diet (consuming fish 3-4 times weekly but avoiding meat and poultry) | no change | mood scores | FISH participants | - | unchanged | #10 |
vegetarian diet (avoiding meat, fish, and poultry) | increase | several mood scores | VEG participants | - | improved significantly | #11 |
BACKGROUND: Omnivorous diets are high in arachidonic acid (AA) compared to vegetarian diets. Research shows that high intakes of AA promote changes in brain that can disturb mood. Omnivores who eat fish regularly increase their intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), fats that oppose the negative effects of AA in vivo. In a recent cross-sectional study, omnivores reported significantly worse mood than vegetarians despite higher intakes of EPA and DHA. This study investigated the impact of restricting meat, fish, and poultry on mood. FINDINGS: Thirty-nine omnivores were randomly assigned to a control group consuming meat, fish, and poultry daily (OMN); a group consuming fish 3-4 times weekly but avoiding meat and poultry (FISH), or a vegetarian group avoiding meat, fish, and poultry (VEG). At baseline and after two weeks, participants completed a food frequency questionnaire, the Profile of Mood States questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales. After the diet intervention, VEG participants reduced their EPA, DHA, and AA intakes, while FISH participants increased their EPA and DHA intakes. Mood scores were unchanged for OMN or FISH participants, but several mood scores for VEG participants improved significantly after two weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Restricting meat, fish, and poultry improved some domains of short-term mood state in modern omnivores. To our knowledge, this is the first trial to examine the impact of restricting meat, fish, and poultry on mood state in omnivores.