A new study from South Dakota State University suggests that including red meat within high-quality diets may support mental health by ensuring adequate intake of brain health-critical nutrients and promoting favorable gut microbial diversity. The research challenges the notion that red meat should be completely eliminated from healthy diets.
Study Design and Findings
Researchers led by Samitinjaya Dhakal, assistant professor in SDSU’s School of Health and Human Sciences, analyzed data from the American Gut Project, the largest open-source microbiome initiative to date. They categorized 4,915 adults into four groups based on diet quality and red meat consumption, using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Eating Index to score diets on a 0-100 scale.
The study found that within a high-quality diet context, people maintained healthy weights regardless of red meat consumption. However, red meat consumers showed additional benefits beyond protein intake, particularly in meeting needs for brain health-critical nutrients including zinc, selenium, vitamin B12, and choline. Higher healthy eating index scores, regardless of red meat consumption, were linked with lower odds of depression, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. Strong gut microbial diversity was associated with high diet quality scores and red meat consumption.
Implications for Dietary Guidelines
According to Dhakal, “What was really compelling was the significant nutritional benefit we saw in healthy eaters who consumed red meat. This suggests the public health message shouldn’t be about complete elimination, but rather about building a high-quality diet into which lean red meat can fit.” The research supports what Dhakal describes as “a less rigid approach to healthy eating,” emphasizing that focusing on overall dietary pattern is more powerful for long-term well-being than rigidly eliminating specific foods.
The research was presented on June 2 at Nutrition 2025, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, and an abstract was published in Current Developments in Nutrition. The full study is currently under review for publication in Scientific Reports.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.sdstate.edu/news/2025/08/red-meat-consumption-within-high-quality-diets-may-support-mental-health-study-finds