Coffee has been known to lower the risk of stroke and even delay the development of dementia. Now, a recent report published in The Huffington Post adds another point to its long list of benefits by revealing that coffee may also lower the risk of suicide in men and women by a whopping 50 percent.
Studying three previous studies (which include data on more than 200,000 participants who were followed for at least 16 years), researchers from Harvard School of Public Health found that coffee drinkers who consumed two to four cups of caffeine a day were less likely to commit suicide compared with non-caffeinated coffee drinkers and non-drinkers. This adds evidence to previous findings stating that caffeine lowers the chances of depression in women by 15 percent.
"We identify caffeine as the most likely candidate of any putative protective effect of coffee," says lead researcher Michael Lucas. He goes on to say that caffeine has a positive impact on the brain's neurotransmitters that affect a person's emotions.
"Caffeine from coffee is about 80 percent caffeine intake. In one cup of coffee, you could have about 140 milligrams (mg) of caffeine. In tea, for example, you have about 47 mg," Lucas adds.
Still, researchers recommend drinking coffee in moderation and advise consumers not to drink more than 400 mg of caffeine a day.
(Photo by chichacha via Flickr Creative Commons)
