Coffee and Depression - a cause and also a remedy
What is the link between coffee and depression? Truth is, there are extremely mixed reactions and feedback from coffee drinkers regarding depression and being depressed.
While some of them believe coffee acts as an antidepressant, some indicate that by abstaining from coffee, the symptoms of depression reduced considerably. Therefore, it would seem that linking coffee with depression or lack of it depends on individual reactions, both psychologically and physiologically.
People who are used to drinking a hot cup of coffee every morning swear that it is an instant pick-me-up and gives them the zest to go through their routine activities. On the other hand, people who experienced depression and were asked to give up coffee and sugar experienced elevated moods.
And there are research findings supporting both theories of coffee and depression, too. For example, surveys conducted at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in the year 1993 stated that nurses who consumed coffee had lower risk of committing suicide as compared to non-coffee drinkers. This study was later confirmed by Dr Ichiro Kawachi, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, who also studied the reactions of registered nurses between ages 34 and 59. Therefore, it was more or less concluded that the caffeine in coffee does act as a mild antidepressant. It is thought that caffeine reacts with various neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine and dopamine, and helps elevate the mood in people going through depression.
On the other side of the coffee and depression coin, reports and studies published by various institutes and organizations also indicate that consuming too much coffee can lead to depression. For example, an article published by the Kansas State University indicates that people should try and reduce the overall consumption of coffee, because coffee only gives people a temporary kick, and what follows is to the contrary. It clearly suggests that caffeine in coffee has the ability to increase the release of insulin into the blood. And as most of us are aware, insulin reduces blood sugar levels, which makes people experience low energy levels, and feelings of depression might then set in.
Therefore, to ascertain the coffee and depression connection, coffee drinkers must experience for themselves how their body and mind react to drinking coffee or decreasing their coffee consumption. Their observations will then help them to decide whether or not to continue drinking the beverage.
People who suffer from depression should always take a close look at their lifestyle, food, and drinking habits. This is because certain foods and beverages can affect people’s moods, and coffee is definitely one such beverage. Based on individual reactions to coffee, one can then take a call on whether or not to drink it.
29 October 2010
Depressed? You must like chocolate
people who were depressed ate an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate per month, compared with 5.4 servings among those who were not.
And people who had major depression based on results of a screening test ate even more -- 11.8 servings per month. A serving was considered to be one small bar, or 1 ounce (28 grams), of chocolate.
"Depressed mood was significantly related to higher chocolate consumption," Dr. Natalie Rose of the University of California, Davis, and University of California, San Diego, and colleagues wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Many people consider chocolate a mood-booster but few studies have actually confirmed the connection between the confection and mood. And most studies have looked only at women.
Rose and colleagues studied the relationship between chocolate and mood among 931 women and men who were not using antidepressants. People in the study reported how much chocolate they consumed and most also completed a food frequency questionnaire about their overall diet.
Their moods were assessed using a commonly used depression scale. What they found was a marked association between chocolate consumption and depression. And unlike other studies that looked only at women, the link was true of both men and women.
What the study could not say was why people who are depressed eat more chocolate.
It could be that depression stimulates chocolate cravings, and people eat chocolate as a sort of self treatment, confirming some studies on rats that suggest chocolate can improve mood, the authors said.
Or, it could be that depression may stimulate chocolate cravings for some other reason without providing any mood benefit. People in the study did not have any such "treatment benefit" from chocolate, the team said.
And they said it may be that eating a lot of chocolate actually causes people to feel depressed, another possible explanation for the association they saw in the study.
It may be something physiological about chocolate, such as providing additional antioxidants. Or the mood-boosting effect of chocolate could be fleeting, like the temporary euphoria from drinking alcohol, leaving people feeling even lower after the brief euphoria has passed.
"Distinguishing among these possibilities will require different study designs," the team said.
They said future studies will be needed to determine whether chocolate is a cause of depression, or a temporary salve.
Depression and how dark chocolate can help.
Antidepressant Properties: Cocoa is a potent source of serotonin, dopamine, and phenylethylamine. These are three well-studied neurotransmitters which help alleviate depression and are associated with feelings of well-being.
Cocoa contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors) which help improve our mood because they allow serotonin and dopamine to remain in the bloodstream longer and circulate in the brain without being broken down.
As one lives longer, the level of neurotransmitters decreases. This leads to less creativity, less joy, more physical rigidity -and more rapid aging!
Cocoa, with its supply of MAO inhibitors, helps keep plenty of neurotransmitters in circulation, and thus facilitate anti-aging and rejuvenation.
Cocoa contains anandamide which stimulates blissful feelings. Cocoa also contains B vitamins, which are associated with brain health
And people who had major depression based on results of a screening test ate even more -- 11.8 servings per month. A serving was considered to be one small bar, or 1 ounce (28 grams), of chocolate.
"Depressed mood was significantly related to higher chocolate consumption," Dr. Natalie Rose of the University of California, Davis, and University of California, San Diego, and colleagues wrote in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Many people consider chocolate a mood-booster but few studies have actually confirmed the connection between the confection and mood. And most studies have looked only at women.
Rose and colleagues studied the relationship between chocolate and mood among 931 women and men who were not using antidepressants. People in the study reported how much chocolate they consumed and most also completed a food frequency questionnaire about their overall diet.
Their moods were assessed using a commonly used depression scale. What they found was a marked association between chocolate consumption and depression. And unlike other studies that looked only at women, the link was true of both men and women.
What the study could not say was why people who are depressed eat more chocolate.
It could be that depression stimulates chocolate cravings, and people eat chocolate as a sort of self treatment, confirming some studies on rats that suggest chocolate can improve mood, the authors said.
Or, it could be that depression may stimulate chocolate cravings for some other reason without providing any mood benefit. People in the study did not have any such "treatment benefit" from chocolate, the team said.
And they said it may be that eating a lot of chocolate actually causes people to feel depressed, another possible explanation for the association they saw in the study.
It may be something physiological about chocolate, such as providing additional antioxidants. Or the mood-boosting effect of chocolate could be fleeting, like the temporary euphoria from drinking alcohol, leaving people feeling even lower after the brief euphoria has passed.
"Distinguishing among these possibilities will require different study designs," the team said.
They said future studies will be needed to determine whether chocolate is a cause of depression, or a temporary salve.
Depression and how dark chocolate can help.
Antidepressant Properties: Cocoa is a potent source of serotonin, dopamine, and phenylethylamine. These are three well-studied neurotransmitters which help alleviate depression and are associated with feelings of well-being.
Cocoa contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO Inhibitors) which help improve our mood because they allow serotonin and dopamine to remain in the bloodstream longer and circulate in the brain without being broken down.
As one lives longer, the level of neurotransmitters decreases. This leads to less creativity, less joy, more physical rigidity -and more rapid aging!
Cocoa, with its supply of MAO inhibitors, helps keep plenty of neurotransmitters in circulation, and thus facilitate anti-aging and rejuvenation.
Cocoa contains anandamide which stimulates blissful feelings. Cocoa also contains B vitamins, which are associated with brain health
09 October 2010
World Mental Health Day-NO HEALTH WITHOUT MENTAL HEALTH
World Mental Health Day
No health without mental health
10 October 2010
World Mental Health Day on 10 October raises public awareness about mental health issues. The Day promotes more open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention and treatment services. The treatment gap for mental, neurological and substance use disorders is formidable especially in poor resource countries.
Physical and mental health are intertwined. There is a real need to deal with mental health problems of people with chronic physical illnesses and physical care of mental health consumers through a continued and integrated care.
On the occasion of the World Mental Health Day, WHO is launching its Mental Health Gap Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) this year on 7th of October which will be the inception of the implementation phase as well.
No health without mental health
10 October 2010
World Mental Health Day on 10 October raises public awareness about mental health issues. The Day promotes more open discussion of mental disorders, and investments in prevention and treatment services. The treatment gap for mental, neurological and substance use disorders is formidable especially in poor resource countries.
Physical and mental health are intertwined. There is a real need to deal with mental health problems of people with chronic physical illnesses and physical care of mental health consumers through a continued and integrated care.
On the occasion of the World Mental Health Day, WHO is launching its Mental Health Gap Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) this year on 7th of October which will be the inception of the implementation phase as well.
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