Two to Three Cups of Coffee Could Shield Your Mental Health, Large Study Suggests

An analysis of 461,586 UK adults followed for about 13 years shows a non-linear link between coffee and mental health: two to three daily cups are linked with the lowest risk of mood and stress disorders, while more than five cups erode benefits; heavy ground coffee in particular shows downside. Instant and ground coffee follow the same pattern; decaf has no clear effect. The protective link is stronger in men, and the metabolism genotype did not alter the pattern. Inflammation and kidney function markers partly explain the effect, but as an observational study it cannot prove causation.