Coffee intake
showed a J-shaped relationship with both mood disorders and stress disorders.
Credit: Hatice Esma DEMİREL
https://www.pexels.com/photo/turkish-coffee-on-a-cup-11429424/
Your morning cup of coffee may be more than just a pick-me-up. It may also
be a simple boost for your mental well-being. In a recent study, researchers
from Fudan University, China, wanted to find out whether the amount of coffee a
person drinks each day and the type they choose have any bearing on their risk
of developing stress and mood disorders over time.
After analyzing coffee habits and the mental health status of over 400,000
men and women, they found that drinking two to three cups of coffee a day,
which is considered a moderate intake, has been associated with the lowest risk
of anxiety and depression.
The protective effect of coffee intake against mood
disorders was stronger in men compared to women. The findings are published in
the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Finding the sweet spot
Mental health disorders have quietly grown into one of the pressing global
crises that affects the quality of life for millions. As the scale of the
problem continues to grow, researchers are increasingly looking beyond clinics
and prescriptions, turning their attention to everyday choices people make,
such as their diet and the beverages they drink, as potential tools for
prevention.
Coffee has caught the attention of many researchers because caffeine, the
bioactive compound in coffee, makes us feel more alert by blocking adenosine,
the brain chemical that signals fatigue.
In small amounts, caffeine may help lift the mood by
stimulating dopamine, a chemical involved in pleasure, motivation, and
learning. Low dopamine levels are often linked to fatigue, low mood, and a lack
of motivation, so increasing them can help people feel better.
For years, the evidence on coffee and mental health has been all over the
place, with studies debating whether it helps at all and, if so, how much might
be beneficial. Also, most of these studies treated all coffee drinkers—instant,
ground, and decaffeinated— as the same.
This study took a more nuanced look at the link. First, it recognized that
not all coffee is the same, different forms of it might affect the brain
differently. Second, it drew on a large dataset to better understand the
association between coffee consumption and the risk of mental disorders.
For this, the researchers turned to the UK Biobank, one of the world's
largest medical databases, tracking the dietary habits of 461,586 men and women
who were in good mental health at the start, over an average of 13.4 years.
Participants reported how much coffee they drank, and their mental health
was followed over time. By the end of the study, more than 18,000 new cases
each of mood and stress disorders had been recorded, providing a rich dataset
for analysis.
The analysis revealed that moderate intake—about two to three 250 ml cups a
day—was linked to the lowest risk. The pattern followed a J-shaped curve, meaning the benefits peaked at
moderate levels and tapered off at both extremes. In other words, those who
drank very little or too much coffee did not fare as well as those who struck a
balance.
At the upper end of intake, consuming five or more cups a day was linked to
a greater risk of mood disorders, indicating that higher consumption may be
counterproductive.
The team also examined whether genetics played a role by analyzing
participants' polygenic risk scores, which capture how efficiently the
body metabolizes caffeine based on multiple gene variants, to see if being a
fast or slow caffeine metabolizer influenced the results. They found that these
biological differences in caffeine metabolism did not meaningfully change the
association.
These findings could guide clinicians in conversations with patients about lifestyle and dietary choices that support mental well-being. At the same time, coffee is not a one-size-fits-all solution, as individuals vary in sensitivity to caffeine and may experience jitteriness, restlessness, or a rapid heartbeat, even at relatively low intake levels.
Source: Coffee's sweet spot may help mental health in the long run
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