Here’s some sweet news for those who love the bitter taste of coffee: According to a new study, drinking three to four cups a day can slash the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 25 percent. That’s compared with drinking no coffee or less than two cups a day.

And it doesn’t have to be caffeinated coffee, either. “A recent meta-analysis suggested that consumption of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee is associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes,” the study says.

]

The research was performed by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee — a nonprofit organization made up of seven of the major European coffee companies — and published Nov. 14. According to the group, each cup of coffee lowers your risk of Type 2 diabetes by 7 to 8 percent.

What might account for that effect? “Research has found that coffee consumption is associated with lower C-peptide, especially in the overweight or obese, with higher levels of adiponectin [a hormone that increases insulin sensitivity] and with lower levers of inflammatory markers,” the scientists write in their report, adding, “Coffee consumption could play a distinct role in glucose metabolism.”

Read more: Genetically Modified Potato Lowers Cancer Risk

Nearly 400 million people worldwide have diabetes. “Once a disease of old age, Type 2 diabetes is now increasingly affecting younger people, and the highest increase is in the 30- to 40-year-old age group,” according to the report.

Other studies have found that moderate coffee consumption might help prevent breast, prostate, oral and pancreatic cancer, basal cell carcinoma, liver disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Even better: The study says that “a dose-dependent, inverse association between both coffee drinking and total mortality has been demonstrated in the general population, as well as among diabetics.” Translation: Coffee drinkers live longer.

Take that, tea!

Want more Squid Ink? Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook, and follow Samantha Bonar at @samanthabonar.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.