by Deborah Brauser, October 11, 2017

Male vegetarians are at greater risk for depression than their meat-eating counterparts, new research suggests.

A National Institutes of Health (NIH) study of more than 9600 men showed that those who reported being vegetarians or vegans had significantly higher scores on a depression-measuring scale than nonvegetarians.

In addition, significantly more of the vegetarian/vegan group had a score >10 on the measure, signifying mild to moderate depression.

"Nutritional deficiencies (eg, in cobalamin or iron) are a possible explanation for these findings," write the investigators.

Lead author Capt Joseph R. Hibbeln, MD, acting chief of the Section on Nutritional Neurosciences at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the NIH, added that because red meat is rich in vitamin B12, that nutrient may have played a part in the results.

"If someone chooses to be vegetarian or chooses to eat less meat, they should follow guideline recommendations to ensure they have a good vitamin B12 status," Dr Hibbeln told Medscape Medical News.

The findings are published in the current issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Adverse Consequences

Although vegetarian diets have been linked to several health benefits, little is known about benefit or risk to mental health, note the investigators.

"Vegetarian diets have been associated with decreased risks of cardiovascular death, obesity, and diabetes, prompting questions as to whether potential benefits extend to mental health or, in contrast, whether diminished intakes of nutrients that are abundant in excluded foods cause adverse consequences to mental well-being," they write.

Previous research has shown that low levels of vitamin B12 and folate are associated with an increased risk for depression, and "one meta-analysis suggests that vitamin B12 intervention may prevent depressive symptoms in specialized populations," report the researchers. However, better-designed trials are needed to delve into these issues. ...

The 10-Day Communication Challenge is a series of short devotionals to help husbands and wives become more effective in how they communicate with each other. It is a 10 part series.

Day 1, featured in MWJ Issue 437, covered 'Differing Assumptions'.
Day 2, featured in MWJ Issue 438, covered 'The Line of Respect'.
Day 3, featured in MWJ Issue 439, covered 'After the Fight'.
Day 4, featured in MWJ Issue 440, covered 'I Choose to Forgive'.
Day 5, featured in MWJ Issue 441, covered 'A Wife's Countenance'.
Day 6: featured in MWJ Issue 442, covered 'Believe in Him'.
Day 7: featured in MWJ Issue 443, covered 'The World's Most Opposite Couple'.
Day 8: featured in MWJ Issue 444, covered 'Too Much Honesty'.
Day 9: featured in MWJ Issue 445, covered 'A Time to Be Silent '.

The young husband was desperate. His wife had abandoned him and their two children weeks before. Though she still called occasionally, he had no idea where she was. On the phone, he pleaded with her to come home and told her how much he and the children loved her, yet she continually rebuffed him. Was it time to give up and move on?

No. The husband used his meager savings to hire a detective, who found his wife living in a third-rate hotel across the country. The husband borrowed money for a plane ticket. Soon he was on her doorstep saying, "We love you so much. Won't you come home?" She fell apart in his arms, and they went home together.

Weeks later he asked why she hadn't come when he expressed his love repeatedly on the phone. "Because," she answered, "those were only words before. But then you came."

True love is more than words. It may involve flying across the country, even when it costs you your last nickel, to bring your spouse home.

Just between us...

• How have I shown you my love this week?
• If "actions speak louder than words," are my deeds shouting or whispering my love for you?
• What can I do this week to show my love for you?
• How, specifically, did Jesus show us His love?
• BONUS: What are Your Words Producing?

Pray these words together:

Dear Lord Jesus, we want both our words and our actions to say "love" in personal, powerful, and positive ways. Show us new ways to "honor one another above ourselves." Amen.

By Dr. Tim Clinton

"Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!"
- James 3:5

"Cold words freeze people, and hot words scorch them, and bitter words make them bitter, and wrathful words make them wrathful. Kind words also produce their image on men's souls; and a beautiful image it is. They smooth, and quiet, and comfort the hearer."
- Blaise Pascal

We've all seen the devastation on the news that resulted from wildfires out of control. Acres and acres of beautiful forests, multi-million-dollar homes, and more importantly, lives, all destroyed by the raging fires. What's interesting is that in almost all of the cases, these massive wildfires started from a just single spark. Someone dropped a cigarette butt or left some coals on a campfire and the wind kicked it up. Four out of five wildfires are started by humans. It's hard to imagine that such devastation begins with a seemingly insignificant little spark. But the damage produced by that spark will be visible for several decades.

While out of control fires can be devastating, in the right place they can be warm and inviting. So it is with our tongue. Ever since kindergarten we have been taught the old adage, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Don't believe it. It's not true. Words have power - power to encourage, create, transform; or hurt, tear, and destroy. "Our tongue is a fire." Proverbs 18: Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."

You can speak death into someone or you can speak life into someone. New York Times Bestselling author, Helen Yglesias' brother's words broke her spirit. When Helen was a teenager during the Great Depression, she aspired to be a writer. She started writing a book and was excited about it. She eagerly let her brother read her manuscript, expecting encouragement and even a bit of constructive criticism. But his response almost destroyed Helen. "Nobody in the world is going to be interested in that &$#@* stuff you're writing," he said brashly. "You'd have to be a genius to get away with this boring stuff, and you're no genius." Frustrated and hurt, Helen ripped her manuscript to shreds. Those words, spoken by her insensitive brother, caused a forty-year delay in Helen Yglesias's writing career. But after that long delay, Helen couldn't take it anymore and, with the constant encouragement of a friend, finally wrote her book. The book became a New York Times bestseller and she went on to write many other bestsellers!

We all go through life with a remarkable power right under our nose. It is a power so great that it is capable of producing life or death depending on how it's used. What about you? What are your words producing?

"Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so" (James 3:10).

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones" (Proverbs 16:24 KJV)

Source: Hunger and Thirst Devotional by Dr. Tim Clinton

About The Author:

Tim Clinton, Ed. D., LPC, LMFT is President of the nearly 50,000-member American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), the largest and most diverse Christian counseling association in the world. He is Professor of Counseling and Pastoral Care, and Executive Director of the Center for Counseling and Family Studies at Liberty University. Licensed in Virginia as both a Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist, Tim now spends a majority of his time working with Christian leaders and professional athletes. He is recognized as a world leader in faith and mental health issues and has authored over 20 books including Breakthrough: When to Give In, When to Push Back.

by Candace Crabtree

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick…" Proverbs 13:12

Without hope we can literally become sick. Heartsick. Sick in our minds and souls. This sickness can lead to discouragement, depression, hopelessness. But how do we find hope? Where do we look for it? How do we gain it? How do we fill our hearts and minds with the hope of Christ? We may know in our heads that Christ alone is our source of hope… but how do we get our hearts to believe it, too?

"Hope, as you will find, is a skill that takes practice." Edward Welch

Hope takes practice.
Hope takes faith.
Hope takes work.

Hope must be an active word in our vocabulary. Hope is not passive. Hope doesn't arrive on our front doorstep. Hope must be invited in. Hope must be welcomed. Hope must be practiced.