Spilling the beans
New study links elevated stress to coffee consumption by those over the age of 30
TRESSED out? For adults over 30, it may mean that you’re drinking too much coffee.
A new report out of Binghamton University that was published in Nutritional Neuroscience looked at the link between food and mood in adults. One of the key findings was that people over 30 years old are more likely to be anxious if they regularly consume coffee.
Lina Begdache, a professor at Binghamton University and author of the study, tells The Post, “Our ability to regulate stress [with age] decreases, so if we consume food that activates the stress response [such as coffee], we are more likely to experience mental distress.”
Begdache says adults over 30 should only drink coffee in moderation if they’re feeling anxious. Instead, she suggests reaching for some fruit, which is high in anti-oxidants that fight the stress-causing chemicals that build up as we age.
Meanwhile, younger folks, ages 18 to 29, should eat red meat and poultry if they’re looking to boost their moods. Such foods contain compounds that increase the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pleasure centers.
But hope’s not lost for vegetarians: Working out has the same effect.
“Regular exercise leads to [dopamine] build-up and other neurotransmitters as well,” Begdache says in a press release. S