Meesters Alie N R, Maukonen Mirkka, Partonen Timo, Männistö Satu, Gordijn Marijke C M, Meesters Ybe
Department of Behavioural Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Neuropsychobiology. 2016;74(4):202-206. doi: 10.1159/000477247. Epub 2017 Jun 22.
Seasonal patterns of food intake are found in healthy individuals and particularly in patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). One nutritional choice is a vegetarian diet.
In a Finnish population study, FINRISK 2012, information about diet and SAD was collected. In a Dutch outpatient clinic, SAD patients were asked if they were vegetarian.
The percentage of SAD patients among Finnish vegetarians was 4 times higher than in the normal population. The percentage of vegetarians among the SAD patients in a Dutch outpatient clinic was 3 times higher than in the normal population. In the Dutch population, the seasonal loss of energy, in particular, is related to vegetarianism.
These findings suggest a possible link between vegetarianism and SAD.
