Food & Mood: Coffee... it makes ME happy!



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Coffee.

Mmmmmm, coffee.

Does it help or hinder our depression?  Do we really care when it comes to.....mmmmmmm coffee...?

A few years ago, I was drinking approximately 6 cups of pretty feral average instant coffee a day.  I enjoyed it very much at the time and I would most certainly intersperse those with pretty good cups of REAL coffee. 

Now though, I drink only 1 - 2 cups of coffee a day.  I make sure that whatever I drink now though, it is GREAT coffee.  I can't handle an average, or god forbid a bad (gasp) coffee to interrupt my coffee appreciation of 1-2 cups a day.  Luckily, Cairns has some fabulous coffee hot spots where I am guaranteed a great coffee every time.

Why did I so drastically cut down my coffee consumption?  Well, I can't afford 6 cups of good coffee a day for starters!  Second, I no longer liked the way I felt so wired all the time if I did go overboard.  It wasn't helping my state of mind or my sleep patterns at all.... 

Coffee gets a bad rap sometimes....  but lately it's been getting quite the good reviews:)

A growing body of research shows that coffee drinkers, compared to non-drinkers, are less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease and dementia; have few cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems and strokes. 

There is always a BUT, so here is it... BUT coffee isn't proven to prevent those conditions.

Researchers have only asked people about their coffee habits, the studies don't show cause and effect.  They rarely factor in any advantages that coffee drinkers may have over non-coffee drinkers that took part in the study, as in better diets, more exercise or protective genes.

So, there isn't solid proof, but there are signs of potential health perks, and a few cautions. 

Caffeine is the most frequently used stimulant in the world and coffee consumption accounts for about 80% of caffeine use. 

Drinking coffee gives us an instant lift in mood and energy.  It may only be short term, but it is this effect that drives us to drink so much coffee.  Most people have one in the morning when they wake up, while many others can't even function until they have had their morning cup of coffee.  

When I am feeling particularly tired after a crap night sleep, or the day after a huge market, I will find myself at one of my favourite cafes, looking for a hit of caffeine to perk me up. 

Coffee also contains minerals such as magnesium and chromium, which as we know helps the body use insulin to control blood sugar levels and improve serotonin levels in the brain.  Which is why we feel so good when we drink it!

There is no study that says coffee is directly good or bad for depression.  Unfortunately.  I searched and searched and if you can find one that says it is good for existing depression, then please send it to me!

Generally people with depression report mixed reactions to coffee.  It either makes them feel great, like an anti-depressant, or it makes them feel crap or worse then they did before the coffee.  It is an absolute individual thing, and people with depression who have been asked to abstain from coffee have reported experiencing elevated moods.  I have done the whole coffee to excess, abstaining completely and now I think I have found my happy medium.  I could go several days without one (if I have to) but that is rare.

There is one study worth mentioning purely for it's positive results for coffee. 

This observational study, conducted over a period from 1996 to 2006 showed that drinking caffeinated coffee may help women fight depression - NEW incidents of depression that it. 

The study included 50,739 women who were part of the Nurses' Health Study in America.  Researchers looked at questionnaires the women completed from 1980 to 2004 to measure caffeine consumption.  None of the women had depression at the start of the study in 1996 and they were followed through to 2006.

It was found that 2607 women developed depression in this period.  Women who consumed four or more cups of caffeinated coffee had a 20 per cent decreased risk of developing depression over the 10 year period.  95 women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were diagnosed with depression during the study while 670 people in the one cup a week or less were diagnosed.

More than 560 women who drank 2 -3 cups of coffee developed depression over the study.  That group was 15% less likely to develop the disorder than those who drank one cup or few each week, the study found. 

Researchers were clear to point out that drinking coffee does not help people not get depressed.  The study gives researchers information, like a stepping stone to further research on the subject.

The head of the study, Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston also points out that women who are predisposed to depression (i.e. me) may be more likely to avoid caffeine because it affects their sleep or because they are genetically sensitive to caffeine.  Well, with my stomach, that could be why I cut back, but I think my sleep had something to do with it aswell!

So there you have it people.  If you are female and don't have depression, drink more coffee to potentially reduce your risk of ever getting it by 20%.  If you do have depression, find what works for you.

You can read more about this study here.

In the meantime, I am off to get my first coffee for the day:)

Happy drinking,

Mummy in Disguise
                                      xoxo

PS - as posted on my FB page earlier today, I am moving the Food & Mood Series to Tuesday.  Mondays just don't work for me anymore; there is too much going on in any given part of my life on a Monday!  xoxo