Coffee to the Rescue for Depression
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds women who drank two to three cups of coffee a day reduced their risk of depression by 15 percent, compared to women who consumed only one cup or less per week.
That's sweet news to coffee bean lovers the world over..! The research, published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine, questioned over 50,000 women (average age: 63) about their lifestyles. The Nurses' Health Study, was just released and helps form a correlation between depression and the amount of coffee drank from 1980 to 2004. While it's too early to start recommending increasing your daily coffee consumption as a way to prevent depression, the findings may comfort those of us who may feel guilty about their daily 'cup(s) of joe' habit.
The studies showed that when compared to women who drank only one cup of coffee a day, women who drank four cups of coffee or more a day were 20% less likely to have depression and ladies who consumed two to three cups a day had a 15% reduction in their risk for depression. While the 10 year study consisted only of women the results may still hold true for men.
I for one have been known to show up to many a 5:30AM class with my favorite flavor of liquid energy steaming out of my coffee mug. For me, and many men, that morning cup of coffee may be in fact a life saver.
Earlier research, including one study among men, suggests that caffeine reduced depression, suicide, and could possibly have a protective effect against certain prostate cancers, too.
Remember if coffee doesn't float your boat when fighting depression or you don't have a prostate, there are alternatives. Here are 6 easy tricks to give a try.
