STUDY: Coffee May Keep Depression Away

Noel7 — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:47:53 GMT

Possible good news for coffee drinkers. Of course, not everyone's tummy can handle coffee.

From Medscape Daily News:

September 26, 2011 — Risk for depression may decrease as coffee consumption increases, new research suggests.

In a 10-year cohort study of more than 50,000 older women, investigators found that compared with those who drank 1 cup or less of caffeinated coffee per week, those who drank 2 to 3 cups per day had a 15% decreased risk for depression, and those who drank 4 cups or more had a 20% decreased risk.

"This is one of the first major studies to look to this relationship," lead author Michel Lucas, PhD, RD, epidemiologist/nutritionist at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, told Medscape Medical News.

"People have often worried that drinking caffeinated coffee might have a bad effect on their health, but there is more and more literature, including this study, showing that caffeine may not have the detrimental effect previously thought," said Dr. Lucas.

The investigators note that because this was an observational study, it did not prove causality and "only suggests the possibility" of a protective effect.

"Further investigations are needed to confirm [the findings] and to determine whether usual caffeinated coffee consumption can contribute to depression prevention," they write.

Still, Dr. Lucas said that it might be okay for clinicians to recommend increasing a patient's coffee intake.

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STUDY: Coffee May Keep Depression Away