Depression Is Less Common in Women Who Drink Coffee

One prospective study involving men showed a reduced risk for depression with increased coffee consumption (Public Health Nutr 2010; 13:1215), and several studies have shown an association between increased coffee consumption and decreased risk for suicide. Using data from the Nurses' Health Study, investigators studied about 50,000 women who were free of depression at baseline; coffee consumption and new diagnoses of depression were documented during 10 years of follow-up.

In analyses adjusted for numerous clinical and demographic variables, risk for depression in women who drank four or more cups of coffee daily was 20% lower than in women who drank one cup or less weekly. No association was observed between risk for depression and consump…