Known to be heavy coffee drinkers, more than one in two Americans drink coffee throughout the day. In addition to an effect against fatigue, coffee would have other beneficial effects on health.

Preventing type 2 diabetes...

The study, published in Diabetologia, was the first to find the benefits of coffee. Taking an extra 1.5 cups a day (about 360ml), for four years, can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes by 11%! The authors studied three long-term databases. They monitored the individual's lifestyle, diet, and physical and medical condition. From these data (more than 7200 cases of type 2 diabetes in the data), two conclusions emerge:

• Participants who increased their coffee consumption by 1.69 cups/day reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes;
• Individuals who decreased their consumption by at least one cup/day did have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, by 17%.

... And other diseases

Another great benefit of coffee is that it is full of antioxidants.

A 2005 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that coffee was the number one source of antioxidants for Americans. The study found that a cup of coffee is better than a serving of oranges or blueberries in terms of antioxidants! Essential, the antioxidants may play an important role in preventing inflammation. The latter may be associated with heart disease or other illnesses.

The Harvard Medical School found that regular coffee consumption may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Men who drink at least 1 to 3 cups of coffee a day have a 20% lower risk of prostate cancer! In addition, those who drink 4 to 5 cups reduce their risk of prostate cancer by 25% compared to those who have never drunk coffee!

In a nutshell

Drink more coffee (to some extent) can help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and give you a good dose of powerful antioxidants! So feel free to pour yourself another cup!