In a new observational study that tracked nearly half a million adults for more than a decade, people who reported drinking two to three cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of developing mood and stress disorders than people who drank large amounts of coffee or no coffee at all.
The pattern held whether the coffee was caffeinated, decaffeinated, ground or instant.
The study, from researchers affiliated with Fudan University in China, drew on health data from 461,586 participants in the UK Biobank — all free of mood and stress disorders at the start — and followed them for a median of 13.4 years.
Over that period, 18,220 new cases of mood disorders and 18,547 new cases of stress disorders were identified in hospital inpatient records, providing a large dataset for analysis.
In the study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, the researchers outline a J-shaped relationship between daily coffee intake and mental health risk. Risk was lowest at two to three cups per day, higher among non-drinkers and higher again at heavier intake levels.
Stronger Association in Men
The association between coffee and mood disorders was more pronounced in men than in women. The researchers suggested this may partly reflect sex-related physiological differences, including differences in caffeine metabolism.
For stress disorders, the J-shaped pattern was most pronounced in adults over 60 and in those who reported sleeping seven to eight hours per night, according to the researchers. The interaction with sleep is notable because sleep patterns are closely tied to stress-related health outcomes.
The researchers also found no evidence that caffeine-metabolism genotypes meaningfully changed the coffee-mental health relationship. In other words, based on this analysis, the apparent “sweet spot” around two to three cups did not depend on whether someone was genetically predisposed to metabolize caffeine faster or slower.
Mounting Evidence on Coffee and Depression
The study adds to a growing body of observational evidence linking moderate coffee consumption with lower risk of some men
In a new observational study that tracked nearly half a million adults for more than a decade, people who reported drinking two to three cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of developing mood and stress disorders than people who drank large amounts of coffee or no coffee at all.
The pattern held whether the coffee was caffeinated, decaffeinated, ground or instant.
The study, from researchers affiliated with Fudan University in China, drew on health data from 461,586 participants in the UK Biobank — all free of mood and stress disorders at the start — and followed them for a median of 13.4 years.
Over that period, 18,220 new cases of mood disorders and 18,547 new cases of stress disorders were identified in hospital inpatient records, providing a large dataset for analysis.
In the study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, the researchers outline a J-shaped relationship between daily coffee intake and mental health risk. Risk was lowest at two to three cups per day, higher among non-drinkers and higher again at heavier intake levels.
Stronger Association in Men
The association between coffee and mood disorders was more pronounced in men than in women. The researchers suggested this may partly reflect sex-related physiological differences, including differences in caffeine metabolism.
For stress disorders, the J-shaped pattern was most pronounced in adults over 60 and in those who reported sleeping seven to eight hours per night, according to the researchers. The interaction with sleep is notable because sleep patterns are closely tied to stress-related health outcomes.
The researchers also found no evidence that caffeine-metabolism genotypes meaningfully changed the coffee-mental health relationship. In other words, based on this analysis, the apparent “sweet spot” around two to three cups did not depend on whether someone was genetically predisposed to metabolize caffeine faster or slower.
Mounting Evidence on Coffee and Depression
The study adds to a growing body of observational evidence linking moderate coffee consumption with lower risk of some mental health outcomes, though prior results have been mixed.
A 2023 Psychiatry Research study using UK Biobank data similarly associated two to three cups of instant coffee per day with reduced depression risk, though it found mixed results for anxiety.
A more recent study from China involving laboratory mice suggested that caffeine may help prevent depression caused by chronic stress by supporting the “gut-brain axis.”
The authors declared no competing interests and said the research received no specific grant from public, commercial or nonprofit funding agencies.
tal health outcomes, though prior results have been mixed.
A 2023 Psychiatry Research study using UK Biobank data similarly associated two to three cups of instant coffee per day with reduced depression risk, though it found mixed results for anxiety.
A more recent study from China involving laboratory mice suggested that caffeine may help prevent depression caused by chronic stress by supporting the “gut-brain axis.”
The authors declared no competing interests and said the research received no specific grant from public, commercial or nonprofit funding agencies.
