According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), drinking two or three cups of coffee a day makes us happier . This is because the caffeine ingested through coffee acts as an antidepressant by increasing the brain's production of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The results explain the low risk of depression in coffee consumers demonstrated in epidemiological studies.
For four years, respondents drank caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, tea, and chocolate. Of the 208,424 participants, 277 committed suicide. The results concluded that those who ingested a minimum amount of caffeine per day (400 milligrams) reduced their risk of suicide by 50% .
"Unlike previous research, we were able to assess the association between consumption of caffeinated and non-caffeinated beverages, and identify caffeine as the most likely candidate for any putative protective effect of coffee," said lead researcher Michel Lucas, Researcher in the Department of Nutrition of the HSPH.
However, the scientists warned that increasing the dose of caffeine in depressed patients does not lead to improvement and even causes unwanted effects. Based on the results, there is no additional benefit to consuming more than three cups of coffee a day . Previous studies also show an increased risk of suicide around eight cups a day.
