Eduard Vieta
Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Barcelona, Head of the Psychiatry and Psychology Department at Hospital Clínic in Barcelona, and researcher at the Biomedical Research Centre in Mental Health (CIBERSAM)
This Norwegian study examined a measure of ageing, telomere length, in a relatively small sample of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and linked it to coffee consumption. The authors observed a positive relationship between moderate coffee consumption and lower biological ageing. The study is preliminary and requires replication.
Among its weaknesses, it should be noted that the measurement of coffee consumption was very simple (cups) and based on self-reporting by the subjects (relatively unreliable). Furthermore, with this methodology, we do not know which component of coffee has these properties. It could be caffeine or other components with antioxidant action. Other sources of caffeine, times of consumption, and coffee format (short, long, with milk, etc.) were not controlled for either. The study is cross-sectional, and it would be desirable to confirm the findings in a longitudinal and better-controlled study. There is no healthy control group to see if the findings are limited to the population with psychiatric disorders.
Coffee consumption in people with mental illness can have beneficial effects, but also harmful ones, especially if it affects sleep duration and quality, a crucial aspect of maintaining stability when suffering from an illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. With its limitations, the study suggests that moderate coffee consumption, and I would add in the morning, may have beneficial effects on physical health and expected longevity (measured biologically) in people with mental disorders, if these results are confirmed.