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The Benefits of Coffee for your Health

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health say in a new study that people who drink more than six cups of coffee a day may be doing a lot more than keeping themselves awake - this kind of consumption apparently also can help reduce the risk of diabetes.

This study found that men who drank more than six cups of caffeinated coffee a day cut their risk of diabetes by more than half, while women reduced their risk by 30 percent. Caffeine-free coffee doesn't seem to have the same effect.

The research, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, isn't specific about the cause of the effect -- because the scientists don't seem to understand why caffeine can help reduce the risk of diabetes beyond them fact that it affects how the body processes sugar. But since 15 million Americans suffer from type-II diabetes, which is the sixth leading cause of death in the US and can lead to heart disease, stroke, blindness, limb loss and other disabilities, the implications of this study are significant.

The coffee industry is struggling with lagging sales; and according to ACNielsen, supermarket and mass market sales of coffees declined by 1% last year. These findings, coupled with recent studies linking coffee drinking, of less than 24 oz. per day, to declines in both bladder and colon cancers may well the new marketing strategy needed to attract new drinkers.