Moderate coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of mental health disorders in a new study.
Could daily coffee intake have a protective effect on mental health? A new study suggests moderate consumption may lower the risk of mental health disorders.
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The study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, found that two to three daily cups of coffee might be beneficial for mental health, especially in men.
On the other hand, consuming five or more cups per day was associated with a higher risk for mental disorders.
The research team analysed data from more than 460,000 participants from the UK Biobank, a large prospective cohort including people aged 40 to 69 years, to investigate the association between daily coffee consumption and various mental disorders.
Participants answered questions about their daily coffee consumption, including amounts and types of coffee, such as decaffeinated, instant and ground, and were followed for a median of 13.4 years.
The researchers found a J-shaped pattern in the results, meaning that those who drank too little or too much coffee did not see the same benefits as moderate drinkers.
The association between coffee consumption and mood disorders was stronger in men, the study noted.
“Currently, there is growing interest in the role of diet and nutrition in the prevention and management of mental disorders," the authors wrote.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over one billion people are living with mental health disorders.
Mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression, represent the second biggest reason for long-term disability, contributing to loss of healthy life, the WHO has warned.
According to the authors, there is a need for preventive strategies to curb the “pandemic of mental health disorders”.
How can coffee help?
Coffee contains over a thousand bioactive ingredients, including caffeine, polyphenols, melanoidins and diterpenes.
The study suggests that the anti-inflammatory effects of compounds such as caffeine and chlorogenic acid may partly explain the lower risk of mental health conditions observed among moderate coffee drinkers.
Caffeine exerts its neuroprotective effects through dual mechanisms: activation of A1R, associated with antidepressant effects, and inhibition of A2AR, which counteracts stress-induced neural dysfunction, the authors noted.
The anti-inflammatory properties of caffeine have been previously linked to a lower risk of dementia and slower cognitive decline in previous studies.