Vegetarians experience depressive episodes twice as frequently as meat eaters, according to a new study by Brazilian researchers published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.There’s a “positive association between the prevalence of depressive episodes and a meatless diet,” the study read. Scientists set out to investigate the potential association between a meatless diet and depression among adults, surveying 14,216 participants aged 35 to 74 years over six months. They were evaluated using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised instrument, a tool used to diagnose common mental health disorders. Vegetarians were found to have double the number of depressive episodes as meat eaters during the same period, even when variables such as smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity and micronutrient intake were taken into account.