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Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

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Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#21

Post by sph »

jchw wrote: post #15
sph wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, that's how stimulants work. The first hit, after abstinence, is always the best.

Well obviously, the study could be bunk, but decaf essentially contains no stimulant, so this isn't really enough to explain the results.

It does taste very much like coffee (though it's also easy to tell it's not caffeinated) and placebo effect is real.

I have been experimenting with reducing/abstaining from coffee and I am well aware of its effects, and I doubt you can reach very strong conclusions. There are times where I have experienced no headaches during my abstinence week, others where I've felt terribly, this last one during the heatwave I actually felt pretty good staying away from coffee, and I have been enjoying the slower pace of my thought.

Nutritional research is, as always, as rigorous as astrology.

Personally, coffee makes me much more anxious, more impulsive, more able to bruteforce through things I hate, but reduces creativity and contemplation; just like amfetamine BTW.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#23

Post by fcatalan »

RobotToaster wrote: post #16
Aurornis wrote: post #14

Any mood or depression study without a control group is, unfortunately, useless. There is an interesting effect in mood related studies where every group usually improves on average, even if they receive only placebo. The real measure of any depression study is therefore the improvement above and beyond the control group. The effect is so predictable that it has become an easy way to produce studies showing positive…

It's almost like having someone interested in your mental health (even if only to track it) is good for it?

My therapist asked me to track my binge eating episodes, empty log after a week...

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#24

Post by ivewonyoung »

Aurornis wrote: post #14

Any mood or depression study without a control group is, unfortunately, useless. There is an interesting effect in mood related studies where every group usually improves on average, even if they receive only placebo. The real measure of any depression study is therefore the improvement above and beyond the control group. The effect is so predictable that it has become an easy way to produce studies showing positive…

That tracks with even decaf coffee having the positive effects in the study.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#25

Post by tomrod »

fcatalan wrote: post #23
RobotToaster wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's almost like having someone interested in your mental health (even if only to track it) is good for it?

My therapist asked me to track my binge eating episodes, empty log after a week...

Keep tracking and reporting to someone you trust! It can really help to know others are invested in you, whether random internet strangers encouraging you or people in your life you trust.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#26

Post by 404mm »

Aurornis wrote: post #14

Any mood or depression study without a control group is, unfortunately, useless. There is an interesting effect in mood related studies where every group usually improves on average, even if they receive only placebo. The real measure of any depression study is therefore the improvement above and beyond the control group. The effect is so predictable that it has become an easy way to produce studies showing positive…

Also, for anyone who ever tried to quit coffee, probably knows this— the period of feeling down, useless, slow, and tired after you quit is brutal for about 1-2 weeks and can last months for long-time coffee drinkers. No wonder people feel great after having coffee again.

And decaf is not caffeine-free. Decaf coffee still contains about 5-10% of the original caffeine content compared to the same beans but not decaffeinated.

And then there’s the tiny sample size :( and no control group. This is worse than useless. This is the kind of waste that news stations will pick and advertise.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#27

Post by RobotToaster »

The differences found seem more interesting:

>The study also found differences in gut bacteria between coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers, including increases in species such as Eggertella sp and Cryptobacterium curtum, which are thought to play roles in gut function and metabolism.

>Cognitive effects varied depending on coffee type: decaffeinated coffee was associated with improvements in learning and memory, while caffeinated coffee was linked to reduced anxiety, improved vigilance and attention, as well as a reduced risk of inflammation.

The actual journal article has a lot more information, the clickbait headline doesn't really do it justice https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-71264-8

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#28

Post by Insanity »

deanc wrote: post #22

Anecdotally, multiple folks have said to me they don't drink coffee because it makes them anxious. Enough for me to take notice.

I'll +1 that, and I'm one of those people but only if I'm already in a poor mental state. When I have something to feel anxious about (e.g, health concerns), then coffee consistently makes me feel more anxious.

Although, it doesn't make me feel anxious on most days, it's really only if I already have a prior reason, it just exacerbates it.

Re: Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee lower stress, depression and impulsivity

#29

Post by butlike »

bondarchuk wrote: post #3

> Participants first abstained from coffee for two weeks before being reintroduced to either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee in a blinded trial. So it could easily just be cessation of withdrawal symptoms.

2 weeks isn't long enough to reduce ∆FosB expression after drug (caffeine) use. Most likely I'd say you're right; the subjects are in withdrawal and getting a dose is relaxing.
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