Mood rhythmicity is associated with depressive symptoms and caffeinated drinks consumption in South American young adults

ABSTRACT

Among the factors that contribute to the onset and maintenance of depressive disorders, rhythmicity of symptoms and consumption of caffeine have recently gained attention. The current study aimed to examine the differential rhythmicity of relevant variables in a sample of young participants, considering the presence of depressive symptomatology and the frequency of caffeinated drinks consumption. A significant 24-hour differential rhythmicity of mood, cognitive and physiological variables was found indicating an evening peak pattern in the participants with depressive symptoms. Interestingly, caffeinated drinks consumption was differentially associated with self-perceived peaks, according to the presence of depressive symptomatology. Our findings are among the first reports about the potential association of the 24-hours rhythmicity of relevant mood-related variables, depressive symptoms, and caffeine intake. These results support the view that the identification of risk factors for depression, and the application of novel measurements and analysis methods in the development of new preventive strategies should be a public health priority.

KEYWORDS:

• Mood rhythms
• depression
• mood disorders
• caffeine
• latin America

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Isabel Avila, Lorena Camacho, Sebastián Higuera and Mery López for their assistance in data collection.

Disclosure Statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas y Ambientales. U.D.C.A, Bogotá, Colombia. AA is supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness [grant PSI2015-65026; MINECO/FEDER/UE].