According to researchers at Harvard's Medical School, "compared with women who drank one cup of caffeinated coffee or less per week, those who consumed two to three cups per day had a 15% decreased risk of developing depression." This sounds totally obvious. Caffeine in the brain increases dopamine, which leads to feelings of energy and well-being. They would find similar results after administering a small dose of amphetamine. Oh, and "coffee must have caffeine to have the effect," say the researchers. No, seriously.
What was interesting about the study was that regular coffee drinkers were more likely to smoke and drink alcohol and were less likely to be involved in church, volunteer or participate in community groups. These are factors that might make a person more susceptible to depression, however, when controlled for the trend of increasing coffee consumption and lower depression remained. Interesting.
BBC News article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15059266
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