Giant Study May Have Found The Ideal Amount of Coffee to Lower Stress
March 21, 2026 | Source: Science Alert | by David Nield
A coffee hit might be more commonly associated with increased alertness, but a new study shows that it could also help lower the risks of developing anxiety and depression – and there’s actually a sweet spot when it comes to how much to drink to get the best effect.
Researchers from Fudan University in China wanted to build on inconclusive findings from past studies to investigate whether or not coffee consumption could be protective against developing mood and stress disorders.
They tapped into a huge amount of data: records of 461,586 individuals, all in good mental health at the start of the study period, who were followed for a median of 13.4 years. Self-reported coffee intake was charted against future health diagnoses.
The statistical number-crunching showed that those who drank two to three cups of coffee a day were the least likely to develop mental health problems, compared to people who didn’t drink coffee at all or who drank more than three cups.