I love coffee. My family loves coffee. At any time of the day I have access to 5 ways to quickly make a cup. Is this unusual? According to many statistic counts- not really. Americans love their coffee. Over 80% of Americans consume coffee- that’s over 400 million cups a day! Caffeine is our favorite stimulant. Interesting enough, men and women consume coffee for different reasons. Men drink coffee in order to get the job done and complete tasks. Women, on the other hand, use coffee to relax. For me, nothing’s better than a nice cup of coffee. Today there’s a lot of marketing in coffee. Companies are creating newer machines that can brew great cups in the comfort of anyone’s home. There’s also the wide range of available flavors and blends.

 

Well other than the reason to relax, women may have another reason to drink their coffee. In the September 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, there’s a report stating that the risk of depression appears to decrease for women with increased consumption of caffeine. Previous studies have hinted to a possible association between coffee consumption and depression risk. Approximately every 1 in 5 women will experience depression during their lifetime. These numbers make depression in women a public health priority.

 

In a study conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health, women were followed from the study’s start in 1996 through June 2006. Caffeine consumption was measured through questionnaires completed from May 1980 through April 2004. It has been discovered that compared to women who consumed only 1 cup of coffee or less a week, those who consumed two or more cups per day have a 15 percent decrease in risk for depression. Those consuming four or more cups per day had a 20 percent decrease in risk. This was only seen for those consuming caffeinated drinks. No association was found between decaffeinated coffee and depression risk.

 

Perhaps this study can make some headway into treatments for depression in women.

 

JAMA and Archives Journals (2011, September 26). Increased caffeinated coffee consumption associated with decreased risk of depression in women, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 27, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110926165904.htm