Females who want to get rid of depression can now find solace in drinking caffeinated coffee although researchers based in Harvard claim that more research is necessary before they can recommend that drinking several cups a day can be considered as therapy.

Caffeine is the acrid substance found in beverages like coffee, tea, soda, chocolate and some medicines. It affects the human body's metabolism and stimulates the central nervous system making people more alert and enhancing their energies.

However, too much of it can be harmful to the health and cause irritation as well as restiveness. Pregnant and nursing women should minimize their intake of caffeine.

A report from Bloomberg stated that a study released today in the Archives of Internal Medicine said "women who consumed four or more cups of caffeinated coffee daily had 20 percent more chances of reducing risks in building up depression over a 10-year period compared to females who drank one cup or less every week."

The research showed that only 95 women who drank 4 or more cups were detected to have developed depression while 670 who consumed one cup or less were diagnosed with this same condition.

The proponents of the research opined that 1 out of 5 women in the country will be diagnosed with depression during her lifetime.

Women are said to experience depression twice as often as the opposite sex and the diagnostic criteria are the same for both sexes. The difference is that women with this disorder often encounter guilt, increased appetite and sleep, weight gain and eating maladies.

"The study about caffeine and depression in women is by far the most extensive," explained Alberto Ascherio, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

The Harvard professor said that women who are biased towards depression will most likely avoid drinking caffeine since it interferes with regular sleeping habits.

The research also illustrated that most coffee drinkers also consume alcoholic drinks or smoke regularly.