AI Insight
This study of 5,000 German adults aged 18-74 years found that individuals following mainly vegan diets reported higher levels of perceived social isolation and social withdrawal compared to those following omnivorous diets, even after adjusting for various demographic, lifestyle, health, and mental health factors. Mainly vegetarian diets showed similar associations, but these disappeared when mental health factors were included in the analysis. However, the actual effect size was minimal, with diet type explaining almost no variance in social outcomes, suggesting limited practical significance.
Why it matters
The findings suggest a potential association between vegan diets and feelings of social isolation, though the extremely small effect size indicates this relationship has minimal real-world impact. This information may be relevant for healthcare providers and individuals considering dietary changes, but should not be overinterpreted given the cross-sectional design and negligible practical significance.
Understand the Science
by André Hajek, Razak M. Gyasi, Supa Pengpid, Karl Peltzer, Karel Kostev, Pinar Soysal, Ashwin Kotwal, Lee Smith, Dong Keon Yon, Hans-Helmut König
Aim
There is a very limited number of studies examining how diet is associated with social factors. The aim of this study was therefore to examine the association between type of diet and loneliness, social isolation and social withdrawal.
Methods
Cross-sectional data from the general adult population in Germany were used. The sample included 5,000 individuals aged 18–74 years. To quantify loneliness, the De Jong Gierveld tool was used. Social isolation was measured using the Lubben Social Network Scale and Bude/Lantermann tool. Social withdrawal was operationalized using the 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire. Three types of diet were considered (mainly vegetarian; mainly vegan; neither vegetarian nor vegan, reflecting an omnivorous diet). The analysis was adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle-related, health-related and mental health-related covariates in multiple linear regressions.
Results
Overall, 15.4% of the individuals reported following a mainly vegetarian diet and 3.5% of the individuals surveyed followed a mainly vegan diet, with the remaining participants (81.1%) following an omnivorous diet. When adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle-related and health-related factors, individuals following a mainly vegetarian diet had significantly higher levels of perceived social isolation and social withdrawal compared to individuals following an omnivorous diet. However, these significant associations disappeared when adjusting for mental health-related covariates. Mainly vegan eaters feel more isolated and withdraw more from society compared to individuals following an omnivorous diet, even in the fully adjusted model.
Conclusion
Following a mainly vegan diet was associated with perceived social isolation and social withdrawal, even when adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle-related, health-related and mental health-related covariates. However, the variance explained by diet type was minimal (R2 close to zero and partial eta2 < 0.01), indicating limited practical relevance.