Consumption of Red meat cuts the risk of depression in half, say scientists.

Experts admitted surprise at the findings because so many other studies have linked red meat to physical health risks. 

The team made the link after a study of 1000 Australian women. 

Professor Felice Jacka, who led the research by Deakin University, Victoria, said: "We had originally thought that red meat might not be good for mental health but it turns out that it actually may be quite important.

Gotta be good for the guys too.  I fancy a huge hunk of steaming, juicy red meat all the time.

"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. Only nineteen women in the study were vegetarians, and the results were the same when they were excluded from the study analyses." 

Professor Jacka, an expert in psychiatric health, believed the diet of the sheep and cattle was relevant. 

"We know that red meat in Australia is a healthy product as it contains high levels of nutrients, including the Omega-3 fatty acids that are important to mental and physical health," she said.