Three cups of 4p drink daily could slash diabetes, heart disease and stroke risk

Drinking coffee in moderate amounts could have significant health benefits

Millions of Brits rely on a daily cuppa to get them going in the morning, but it's now been revealed that coffee has a string of secret health benefits. As well as giving us a much-needed energy boost, the popular drink could also shield us from serious health issues, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.

A new study, published in a leading medical journal, found that drinking three cups of coffee a day could slash the risk of developing these conditions by almost half. Researchers from China discovered that moderate coffee drinkers - those who consume three cups a day - had a 48.1 percent lower risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases, reports the Express.

These diseases, which include type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, affect millions of people worldwide and can have serious consequences if left untreated. According to the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, moderate caffeine intake - around 200-300mg per day - also reduced the risk of developing these conditions by 40.7 percent.

Lead researcher Chaofu Ke, from the Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, said: "Consuming three cups of coffee, or 200-300 mg caffeine, per day might help to reduce the risk of developing cardiometabolic multimorbidity in individuals without any cardiometabolic disease."

The findings are a welcome boost for coffee lovers, who can now enjoy their daily cuppa safe in the knowledge that it's not only delicious, but also good for them. The study, which delved into the UK Biobank data involving over half a million participants aged between 37 and 73 years, has shed light on the impact of caffeine consumption.

It specifically looked at individuals who consumed more than 100mg of caffeine daily compared to those who didn't or had less.

However, the research was careful to exclude any participant with unclear data regarding their caffeine intake, focusing on 172,315 individuals without cardiometabolic diseases for the caffeine analysis, and 188,091 for coffee and tea consumption studies.

These participants' health outcomes related to cardiometabolic diseases were meticulously tracked through various sources including self-reports, primary care records, hospital data, and death registries.

Ke commented on the significance of the findings: "The findings highlight that promoting moderate amounts of coffee or caffeine intake as a dietary habit to healthy people might have far-reaching benefits for the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases."

For those looking to enjoy the benefits of coffee economically, it's noted that a 200g jar of gold roast instant coffee, offering around 55 servings, can be purchased from Sainsbury's for just £2.25 working out at approximately 4p per cup.