Coffee May Help With Seasonal Affective Disorder

But it’s coffee to the rescue. When examining prior studies on the effects of diet and exercise on mood, researchers noted a correlation between coffee consumption and increased mood. Specifically, they found that consuming 75mg of caffeine—roughly one cup of coffee—once every four hours “could result in a pattern of sustained mood improvement over the course of the day.” Mood, energy, alertness, and concentration were all improved by participants in the study, per the Independent.

But it’s more than caffeine. Giuseppe Grosso, an assistant professor at the University of Catania in Italy and lead author, states that some of coffee’s macronutrients may also be having a positive effect on the brain. Per Gross, polyphenols may be able to pass from the blood into the brain, where they can have anti-neuroinflammatory effects as well as aid in the formation of new neurons. These could additionally help in easing the risk of affective disorders like SAD.

With the weather changing, chances are you may be drinking more coffee already. And as luck would have it, drinking coffee may be doing you more good than you knew.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Melinda