Relationship Between Coffee Use and Depression and Anxiety in a Population of Adult Polysubstance Abusers

Self-reported neurostimulant use among university students in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

University students frequently resort to psychostimulants to enhance their physical and mental performance and manage academic pressures. However, these substances can lead to dependence and other undesired symptoms, and little empirical data are available for relevant stakeholders, raising significant concerns in health care. Therefore, this study aims to characterize neurostimulant use among university students in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. We collected from 880 students' data using anonymous self-administration. The questionnaire included consumption patterns of caffeine, nicotine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, "merla" (coca base), methylphenidate, cocaine, crack, and ketamine. Additionally, participants shared information on demographic and socioeconomic factors. Use of at least one neurostimulant was reported by89.2% of the participants. Among nonusers, the most frequently cited reason was "previous information about harmful effects of these drugs." Caffeine, followed by nicotine, ecstasy, and methylphenidate were the most consumed substances, with main reasons being "improving academic performance" and "recreation." Women more often consumed caffeine (72.7%), while other psychostimulants were more consumed by men (42.2%) and individuals of other genders (0.5%). Students who consumed other substances had higher family incomes than that of families of caffeine users. In addition, 60.4% of caffeine users resided with family members, whereas 63.3% of users of other substances did not. Our findings can offer essential data on the reasons and symptoms associated with the use of neurostimulants among university students. This information could aid in raising awareness among students, universities, and health-care agencies about this often-neglected subject.

Genetically Determined Levels of Serum Metabolites and Risk of Neuroticism: A Mendelian Randomization Study

BACKGROUND

Neuroticism is a strong predictor for a variety of social and behavioral outcomes, but the etiology is still unknown. Our study aims to provide a comprehensive investigation of causal effects of serum metabolome phenotypes on risk of neuroticism using Mendelian randomization (MR) approaches.

METHODS

Genetic associations with 486 metabolic traits were utilized as exposures, and data from a large genome-wide association study of neuroticism were selected as outcome. For MR analysis, we used the standard inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method for primary MR analysis and 3 additional MR methods (MR-Egger, weighted median, and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier) for sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS

Our study identified 31 metabolites that might have causal effects on neuroticism. Of the 31 metabolites, uric acid and paraxanthine showed robustly significant association with neuroticism in all MR methods. Using single nucleotide polymorphisms as instrumental variables, a 1-SD increase in uric acid was associated with approximately 30% lower risk of neuroticism (OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.62-0.95; PIVW = 0.0145), whereas a 1-SD increase in paraxanthine was associated with a 7% higher risk of neuroticism (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01-1.12; PIVW = .0145).

DISCUSSION

Our study suggested an increased level of uric acid was associated with lower risk of neuroticism, whereas paraxanthine showed the contrary effect. Our study provided novel insight by combining metabolomics with genomics to help understand the pathogenesis of neuroticism.

The sources and mechanisms of bioactive ingredients in coffee

Coffee bioactive components include caffeine, chlorogenic acids (CGAs), trigonelline, tryptophan alkaloids, diterpenes and other secondary metabolites. During roasting, coffee metabolites undergo complex Maillard reactions, producing melanoidins and other degradation products, the most controversial among which is acrylamide, an ingredient widely found in baked food and listed as a second class carcinogen. Green and roasted coffee ingredients have good biological activities for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, and antibacterial, anti-diabetic, neuroprotection, and anti-cancer activities. To better understand the relationship between coffee ingredients and human health, and to effectively use the active ingredients, it is essential to understand the sources of coffee active ingredients and their mechanisms of action in the organism. This paper systematizes the available information and provides a critical overview of the sources of coffee active ingredients and the mechanisms of action in vivo or in vitro, and their combined effects on common human diseases.

A Review of Energy Drinks and Mental Health, with a Focus on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

Background: Concerns have been expressed regarding the potential for caffeinated energy drinks to negatively affect mental health, and particularly so in young consumers at whom they are often targeted. The products are frequently marketed with declarations of increasing mental and physical energy, providing a short-term boost to mood and performance. Although a certain amount of evidence has accumulated to substantiate some of these claims, the chronic effects of energy drinks on mental health also need to be addressed.

Methods: To review the relevant literature, PubMed and PsycINFO were searched for all peer-reviewed articles published in English that addressed associations between energy drink use and mental health outcomes. Case reports were also considered, though empirical studies investigating acute mood effects were excluded as a review of such articles had recently been published. Fifty-six articles were retrieved: 20 of these (along with eight more identified through other means) were included in the current review, and, because the majority addressed aspects of stress, anxiety, and depression, particular focus was placed on these outcomes.

Results: Though a number of null findings (and one negative relationship) were observed, the majority of studies examined reported positive associations between energy drink consumption and symptoms of mental health problems.

Conclusions: Though the findings imply that energy drink use may increase the risk of undesirable mental health outcomes, the majority of research examined utilized cross-sectional designs. In most cases, it was therefore not possible to determine causation or direction of effect. For this reason, longitudinal and intervention studies are required to increase our understanding of the nature of the relationships observed.