New York, Nov 21 (IANS): Caffeine, a compound found in tea, coffee and various nuts and berries may offer a new treatment option for women cocaine addicts, research shows.

Caffeine may be neuro-protective and able to block cocaine's direct effects on the
oestrus cycle - a recurring period of sexual receptivity and fertility in many females.

Cocaine shifts the oestrus cycle, thereby changing a woman's estrogen levels. Caffeine can block these changes.

"This is cutting-edge work that has never been shown before. It is critical knowledge relevant to women's reproductive health," explained Patricia Broderick, professor from the City University of New York.

Women are more sensitive to the effects of cocaine and more susceptible to cocaine abuse than men.

Cocaine's ability to disrupt a woman's oestrus cycle may explain the sex differences in cocaine addiction.

The findings appeared in the Journal of Caffeine Research: The International Multidisciplinary Journal of Caffeine Science.