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On top of putting you at risk of a cardiac arrest, there's also plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that a big piece of juicy steak will make you happy. Now, there's scientific proof of that, and according to this new study, consumption of red meat halves the risk of depression.

The study, carried out at Deakin University in Victoria, Australia, confirms that people who avoid red meat are at increased risk of clinical depression. While the study was only conducted in a population of women, extrapolation could afford men this luxury too. According to Professor Felice Jacka:

"When we looked at women consuming less than the recommended amount of red meat in our study, we found that they were twice as likely to have a diagnosed depressive or anxiety disorder as those consuming the recommended amount.

"Even when we took into account the overall healthiness of the women's diets, as well as other factors such as their socioeconomic status, physical activity levels, smoking, weight and age, the relationship between low red meat intake and mental health remained.

"Interestingly, there was no relationship between other forms of protein, such as chicken, pork, fish or plant-based proteins, and mental health. Vegetarianism was not the explanation either. "

So vegetarians are a bunch of sad bags? There have been a lot of evidence that the quality of your diet is important to your mental health, but this is the first scientific study to suggest that red meat has a positive effect. Its a shame we can't be eating more of this. [Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics via The Telegraph]