The researchers looked at over 50,000 female subjects who were, on average, 63 years old and were taking part in the long-term Nurses' Health Study. None of them had any signs of depression when the study started back in 1996, and all provided information on how much caffeine they took in up until June of 2006.

The subjects also said if they'd been diagnosed with clinical depression and if they started using antidepressant drugs. During the follow-up period, 2,607 of the subjects were diagnosed with depression.

But the great volumes of coffee consumed, the less likely a subject was to be depressed. The team saw a dose response. Those who had 2 to 3 cups daily showed a 15% lower depression risk, while those who consumed four (or more) showed a 20% reduced risk.

No one can explain the link... though experts know that caffeine goes into the brain and activates some neurotransmitters that are related to depression; including serotonin and dopamine.

This is a short-term effect. No one can say how the relationship between coffee and depression plays out over the long term. There have also been studies that find a link between drinking coffee and reduced risk of Parkinson's disease and diabetes.

The findings are also consistent with a study that found suicide risk reduces among those who consume more coffee. There's also been work that finds men who have coffee also have reduced rates of depression.

Depression appears in two times as many women compared with men, and about 20% of American women will experience depression at some point in their lifetime. We've moved beyond the days when depression was seen as a genetic weakness of temperament, today doctors recognize this condition as the serious medical illness it is. If a tasty, readily available drink could prevent some measure of that, ease the suffering of millions, it would be a major step in the right direction.

If you, or someone in your life, is dealing with depression, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Feeling hopeless and helpless are symptoms of this illness and are not reality. What's more, the ways to feel better are different for everyone... so take the time to examine all the options... medication, therapy, lifestyle changes as well as the drinking coffee benefits mentioned in this report. Most often the best treatment involves a combination of changes in lifestyle, emotional skill building, social support and the help of a trained professional.