Coffee is a superfood that, when consumed right and consistently, brings a multitude of health benefits. There are studies that link regular coffee consumption to lowering inflammation, its caffeine is known to lower metabolism, and the beans even bring antioxidants that help in other facets of your health. And that’s just scratching the surface.

Well, according to a new study published in Nutrition Reviews, three to four cups of coffee a day can significantly reduce your risks of type 2 diabetes. And it’s not necessarily from the caffeine, either. The authors concluded it’s actually coffee’s natural compounds that reduce the risk of diabetes, which means researchers are suggesting drinking one to two cups of caffeinated coffee early in the day and continuing with decaf in the afternoon. However, just to be clear, the reduction was somewhat stronger with caffeinated coffee.

Specifically, the study concluded that three to four cups of coffee a day can be associated with a 25 percent reduction, to be exact. And that number is no small or arbitrary number. The review was actually culled from more than 30 prospective studies and nearly 1.2 million participants. Now, some might raise an eyebrow at the fact that the study was funded by the non-profit, Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC), but still, 1.2 million people is definitely no small sample size.

“Available evidence indicates that coffee consumption is inversely associated with risk of T2D (Type 2 Diabetes),” the report reads. “Possible mechanisms behind this association include thermogenic, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory effects; modulation of adenosine receptor signaling; and microbiome content and diversity.”

So why and how does coffee have a positive effect on your potential risks of developing such a common and debilitating disease? For one, molecules found in coffee like cafestol and kahweol act as anti-inflammatories. And many studies have uncovered that chronic inflammation is linked to metabolic disorders just like Type 2 Diabetes and even cardiovascular disorders. So, there is a suspected causation.

The authors also believe that coffee’s ability to increase your metabolism, a reduction in oxidative stress, and even regulating your blood sugar all play a role in its link to lowering the risk of diabetes. Since diabetes directly impacts your body’s ability to regulate glucose levels, coffee actually conveniently has the potential to play a role in lowering those very glucose levels. This is because caffeine affects adenosine, a neurotransmitter that makes you sleepy, and research has suggested that adenosine is the part of coffee that can lower those glucose levels.

So, will three to four cups of coffee absolutely prevent you from ever developing type 2 diabetes? One study certainly isn’t enough to prove that. But given what we know about coffee’s properties, its abilities to impact inflammation, and the very link between diseases like type 2 diabetes and inflammation, this is certainly a topic worth keeping your eyes on. It’s already the most common way to boost energy on an average day to begin with, so it’s not likely many people will complain about the findings from this latest study.