Whether you have a latte first thing in the morning, a couple of instant coffees at the office or an after dinner cappuccino, many of us will give ourselves a caffeine fix every day.
And while we'll often think about taking steps to limit our caffeine intake, recent research has suggested that coffee may actually be good for us.
A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that those people who drank a regular cuppa were at a lower risk of dying from a variety of health conditions including heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries, accidents, diabetes and infections
When analysing the coffee-drinking habits of 400,000 men and women over a 14-year period, researchers found that those who consumed between two and six cups a day reduced their risk of dying from certain ailments.
“It’s a modest effect. But the biggest concern for a long time has been that drinking coffee is a risky thing to do," said lead author and an investigator for the National Cancer Institute Neal D Freedman.
"Our results, and some of those of more recent studies, provide reassurance for coffee drinkers that this isn’t the case. The people who are regularly drinking coffee have a similar risk of death as non-drinkers, and there might be a modest benefit.’’
Which is all the excuse you need to whip out the coffee beans, dust off the cafetiere cosy and treat yourself to a good old cuppa with your mates or pop into a cafe for a cheeky espresso on the way to work.
Dr Euan Paul, executive director of the British Coffee Association, added: "This important research adds to the overwhelming weight of evidence which demonstrates that moderate coffee consumption of four to five cups of coffee per day is safe and may be associated with certain health benefits."