Coffee keeps the blues away

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Risk for depression may decrease as coffee consumption increases, new research suggests.

In a 10-year 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.

Decaffeinated coffee, caffeinated tea, sugared soft drinks, and chocolate were not significantly associated with depression risk.

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

"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.

"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.

"If depressed patients are refraining themselves to 1 coffee per day because they think that's all they should have, why not try suggesting they drink more, as long as it doesn't go over 4 cups a day? We still need a large randomized controlled trial to look at this effect, but as long as it's not over a certain amount, upping the intake shouldn't hurt, and may be helpful."

However, a study from Finland ( Eur J Epidemiol. 2000;16:789-791) found that although the risk for suicide decreased progressively for those consuming up to 7 cups of coffee per day, the risk started increasing when consumption went over 8 cups a day.

Dr. Berkowitz, who is on the editorial board for the Archives of Internal Medicine, writes in an accompanying editor's note that past research has found no significant effects of caffeine on cardiovascular disease and other health issues.

"As clinicians we want to make sure that people aren't doing things that will have them come to harm... I think in this case, this study adds to the body of evidence that there isn't much harm in coffee consumption. But I don't think we're at the point where we can say, 'drink coffee so you won't get depressed,' because that's not how the study was designed," he said.

"Still, if your patients have questions or are wondering if drinking coffee is bad for them, I think you can provide some assurance that, at least up to the amounts examined here, it doesn't seem to be causing a lot of problems. If they are feeling like it helps them, they should enjoy it in good health."


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Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/750420