London - Many of us depend on a mug of freshly brewed coffee to perk us up in the mornings.
But its mood-boosting effect could well be lasting far longer than we realise, claim scientists.
They have discovered that women who drink four or more cups a day are a fifth less likely to become depressed while those who drink two or three reduce their risk by 15 percent.
Researchers at Harvard University compared the coffee intake and risk of depression among 51,000 women over ten years. They did not look at men but other studies have found it has a similar effect.
The scientists - whose findings are published in the Journal of American Medicine Association - think that caffeine works in the same way as anti-depressant pills by stopping the production of certain hormones such as serotonin. They also say it improves our feelings of well-being and gives us more energy over long periods.
The researchers asked the women how much tea they drank, chocolate bars they ate each day, their alcohol consumption and whether they did exercise.
They found that coffee had the strongest influence reducing depression but the decaffeinated variety didn’t work at all.
Dr Michel Lucas, from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, said: “Our results support a possible protective effect of caffeine, mainly from coffee consumption, on risk of depression.
“Further investigations are needed to confirm this finding and to determine whether usual caffeinated coffee consumption may contribute to prevention or treatment of depression.”
The scientists pointed out that caffeine had “well-known psychostimulant effects” including “increased sensations of well-being and energy”.
They think that coffee could be used as an anti-depressant or as a means of preventing depression.
Women are far more likely to develop depression than men. Last month German researchers said women are now twice as likely to suffer from depression compared with 40 years ago because they are trying to juggle families and careers.
It is already known that coffee can help stave off a range of illnesses including prostate cancer, gout and Alzheimer’s.
But it isn’t entirely beneficial - and you can have too much. Scientists have also shown that it can raise blood pressure and increase the heart rate.
Pregnant women are advised to drink no more than two cups a day to reduce the likelihood of a miscarriage or their babies being underweight. - Daily Mail