Coffee May Wig You Out Or Save You From Depression

Just line 'em up!: image via dailyshotofcoffee.com Coffee seems to be the new miracle drug. A minimum of 4 cups of coffee has been shown to be effective in reducing risk of diabetes, skin cancers, and strokes (in women), among the other powers it possesses. Now, the Harvard School of Public Health has explored the effects of the magic 4+ cups on depression among women... men have not been studied yet.

The study involved nearly 51,000 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study in 1996, and who, at that time showed no signs of clinical depression. Data was based upon their responses to questionnaires administered between1980 and 2004 regarding their consumption of caffeine. Though there were no diagnosed cases of depression in the group in 1996, by 2006, about 2,600 cases of depression were identified.

Adjusting for several other risk factors for depression such as marital status, smoking, medical conditions, and activity levels, researchers isolated caffeinated coffee drinking as a risk factor and found that the relative risk of depression was greatest among women who drank the least amount of coffee per week.  Those who drank 4 cups of coffee per day had a 20 percent lower risk of depression.

Interestingly, the Harvard researchers did not find the same benefits from other caffeinated beverages or foods, like tea or chocolate.

Four to six cups of coffee a day have been shown to be protective against quite a few serious ailments, but don't go overboard.  A Finish study found risk of suicide among coffee drinkers is reduced up to 8 to 10 cups daily, when the risk of suicide is increased.

sources: The Press Association, Archives of Internal Medicine