Abstract
Consumption of coffee and diet drinks and the use of non-nutritive sweeteners is commonplace worldwide. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to investigate the associations between coffee consumption and non-nutritive sweetener use and depression among populations in Atlantic Canada. During 2009 to 2013, we recruited 18838 participants aged 35–69 years (5854 men and 12984 women) for the baseline survey of the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health cohort study. Coffee consumption, sweetener use, and major depression were assessed using a set of standardized questionnaires. We utilized multiple logistic regression models to assess the associations of coffee drinking and non-nutritive sweetener use with major depression. Compared with non-coffee drinkers, female participants who drank coffee ≥4 cups/day had an odds ratio of 1.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.15–1.64) for major depression with adjustment for sociodemographic and behavioral factors, chronic disease status, and body mass index. We found a significant association between depression and consumption of sweeteners and diet drinks, which was more apparent among women than men. We conclude that heavy coffee drinking and non-nutritive sweetener use were associated with depression among populations in Atlantic Canada. Further studies are warranted to investigate the underlying biological mechanisms.
Highlights
Some evidence indicates that those who drink coffee, compared with non-coffee drinkers, have a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke[4]
We assessed the associations of coffee drinking, diet drink consumption, and NNS use with depression amongst people aged 35 to 69 years old participating in the baseline survey of the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (Atlantic PATH) cohort study
In the smoking and body mass index (BMI) combined analyses, the associations were evident among those who were never smokers with normal weight and those who were ever smokers with overweight or obesity. In this large-scale, population-based cross-sectional analysis, we found that coffee drinking and NNS use were popular among participant populations of the Atlantic PATH study
Summary
Some evidence indicates that those who drink coffee, compared with non-coffee drinkers, have a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke[4]. Two large-scale population-based longitudinal studies reported contrasting associations between heavy coffee drinking (≥4 cups/day) and all-cause mortality[5, 6]. One meta-analysis found that moderate coffee drinking was inversely associated with CVD mortality, with the lowest risk being observed at three to five cups per day. A large-scale observational and Mendelian randomization study reported a U-shaped association between coffee consumption and CVD and all-cause mortality. The epidemiologic evidence to date concerning coffee consumption and depression has been contradictory; studies have reported both increased and decreased risk of depression with coffee drinking[11,12,13,14], though two recent systematic reviews www.nature.com/scientificreports/. Regarding the health consequences of NNS use, a recent study from the US reported an association between consumption of diet drinks and depression[17]. We assessed the associations of coffee drinking, diet drink consumption, and NNS use with depression amongst people aged 35 to 69 years old participating in the baseline survey of the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (Atlantic PATH) cohort study
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