Women who drink coffee may have a lower risk of depression, according to a study from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Several recent studies have looked at a possible link between coffee and suicide, and found that coffee drinkers were less likely to kill themselves.
近来的一些研究，注意到咖啡和自杀之间的关系，研究发现，喝咖啡的人比较少有自杀倾向。
Depression can contribute to suicide, so a logical question might be, does coffee lower the risk of depression?
抑郁症可能导致自杀，因此就产生了一个合乎逻辑的疑问：咖啡会不会减低自杀的风险？
In this new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers used data from an ongoing project called the "Nurses' Health Study." Women in the study periodically answer questionnaires about their health and lifestyle.
在这项新的研究中，研究人员使用的数据来自于一个正在进行中的项目，这个项目的名称是“护士健康研究”。志愿参与这项研究的女性定期回答有关她们健康和生活方式的问卷。
Some 50,000 nurses who reported their coffee consumption and depression status were included in this study.
这篇研究中有大约五万名护士，报告了自己饮用咖啡和心情抑郁的状况。
Researchers found that women who drank more coffee were less likely to be diagnosed with depression. However, the association is not necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship.
哈佛大学公共卫生学院的研究研究员米歇尔·卢卡斯和他的同事们发现，女性多喝咖啡，诊断有抑郁症的就较少。但是他又立即补充说，这两者之间，并没有必然的因果关系。
"This study can not prove that caffeine reduces the risk of depression," says Michel Lucas, of the Harvard School of Public Health, "but only suggests the possibility of such protective effect."
他说：“这项研究并不能证明咖啡因能减少抑郁症的风险，它只是指出一项这类保护性效果的可能性。”
The lower risk of depression was not observed in people who drink decaffeinated coffee. Also, nurses in the study who reported drinking tea and other beverages with caffeine didn't show a significant change in their risk of depression, possibly because of the much lower levels of caffeine in those drinks.
喝不含咖啡因的咖啡，就不会显示出减低抑郁症倾向的效果。同时，参与研究的护士们喝的是含咖啡因的茶或其他饮料，则没有显示出抑郁症风险方面有明显的改变，这可能是因为这些饮料中的咖啡因含量太低。
Lucas say the study cannot answer whether coffee possibly helps protect against depression, but he says caffeine does have biochemical effects that might explain why coffee-drinkers – or, more accurately, caffeine-users – are less likely to be depressed.
那么，咖啡是否能够预防抑郁症？卢卡斯说，这项研究还不能回答这个问题。但是他说，咖啡因确实具有生化效果，这或许可以解释为什么喝咖啡的人，或者更确切地说，使用咖啡因的人，比较不可能患抑郁症。
"We cannot assume causality in this study. It suggests some possibilities. As we know, caffeine is a well-known psycho-stimulant, which increases also a sensation of well-being and energy."
卢卡斯说：“我们不能假设这个研究结果是偶然的。这项研究提出了一些可能性。就我们所知，咖啡因是大家都知道的提神物质，它也能提高愉快的感受和精力。”
Lucas says caffeine is also associated with regulation of dopamine and serotonin, chemical neurotransmitters linked to mood and depression.
卢卡斯说，咖啡因也和巴多胺、血清素，以及传导讯号的神经递质互为作用，对心情和抑郁状况发生影响。
Future research may prove whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship between coffee-drinking and a lower risk of depression. But for now, the Lucas says, "If you're worrying about your drinking cups of coffee, then I think this study is a little bit reassuring for people that like coffee."
未来研究可能证明饮用咖啡和减低抑郁症风险之间的因果关系。但是现在，法裔加拿大研究员卢卡斯说：“如果你在担心你喝咖啡的习惯，这项研究可以稍微使喜欢喝咖啡的人感到安心。”
Michel Lucas of the Harvard School of Public Health and his colleagues published their study on the link between coffee consumption and depression in the journal, Archives of Internal Medicine.
卢卡斯和他在哈佛公共卫生学院的同事们对有关喝咖啡和抑郁症的研究报告发表于“内科医学档案”期刊上。 |