Don't want to get depressed? Drink coffee

 　　BEIJING, Sept. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientists have been making great efforts to show how harmful coffee is to us, though no evidence yet. A latest study may be reassuring¹ for coffee-lovers.

　　Women who drink caffeinated coffee are less likely to be depressed² than those don't. And the more they drink, the lower risk of developing depression, according to a study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

　　Researchers of the study tracked the health of over 50,000 women aged³ between 30 and 55 in 1996 for a decade and recorded their mental health and coffee intake⁴ periodically.

　　They find that women who drank two or three cups of coffee per day were 15 percent less likely than those who drank little or decaffeinated coffee to be depressed.

　　And for those who drank four or more cups, the risk of developing depression reduced by 20 percent.

　　The reason why coffee could protect depression is not clear. But the scientists from the Harvard University speculated that caffeine was the key player. More research is needed to show whether caffeine can ward⁵ off depression.

　　It might be that not-depressed people tended to be more activated⁶ and the habit of coffee drinking just fit in their lifestyle.

　　However, the depressed ones, who might suffer from sleeplessness⁷, chose not to drink coffee because the caffeine might exacerbate⁸ it.

　　"There's no need to start drinking coffee," said Dr. Alberto Ascherio, the senior author of the study, "The message is that coffee is safe to drink, with no adverse⁹ effects. That's really all that can be said."

1 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

2 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 intake   

n.吸入，纳入；进气口，入口

参考例句：

• Reduce your salt intake.减少盐的摄入量。
• There was a horrified intake of breath from every child.所有的孩子都害怕地倒抽了一口凉气。

5 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

6 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

7 sleeplessness   

n.失眠，警觉

参考例句：

• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness. 现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. 医生们对他的奇异的不眠感到疑惑。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

8 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

9 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。