A recent study indicates people
drank more than four cups of coffee daily had over a 50 percent lower chance of
taking their own lives than those who drank less than one cup. Caffeine
increases neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and noradrenalin.
Suicide risk in this study refers
to those people who actually completed suicide; the researchers did not measure
actual suicide risk as commonly referred to by other researchers, which would
include those who attempted suicide but failed.
Not only does caffeine stimulate
the central nervous system, but it may act as a mild antidepressant by
boosting production of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including
serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline. This could explain the lower depression
risk among coffee drinkers found in past epidemiological studies, the
researchers reported in The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry July, 2013.
They evaluated the
association between coffee and caffeine consumption and suicide risk in three
large-scale cohorts of US men and women and found an association between
caffeine consumption and lower risk of suicide.
They are not recommending,
however, that depressed adults increase their caffeine consumption, because
most people adjust their caffeine intake to a level that feels right for them,
and an increase could result in unpleasant side effects.
The Harvard researchers believe
that the caffeine in coffee can increase neurotransmitters like serotonin,
dopamine and noradrenalin. This can boost a person's mood and act as a mild
antidepressant, given the drugs target these neurotransmitters. Michel Lucas, a
research fellow in the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public
Health, said his team was able to assess association of consumption of
caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages, and to identify caffeine as the most
likely candidate of any putative protective effect of coffee.
Beside this study, there were
also findings to suggest that this is not the only good thing coffee can do for
people.
CBS News reported a March study showing that those who drank at least
one cup of coffee or green tea a day had a 20 percent lower stroke risk than
those who rarely drank the beverage. Another research reported by CBS said
heavy coffee drinking, those who drink four or more cups a day, was associated
with a 50 percent lower chance of dying from oral and pharyngeal cancers
compared to those who didn't consume the drink.
The Medical News Today said the
recommended coffee intake for the average healthy adult is around 2-4 cups per
day; and that too much
caffeine can have unpleasant side effects, such as insomnia,
nervousness, restlessness, muscle tremors and a fast heartbeat.
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