According to a new research, one cup of coffee in a day could nearly halve the risk of cancers especially the mouth and throat cancer. Japanese scientists at the Tohoku University School of Medicine in Japan, conducted the study on around 40,000 people, aged 40-64 over a 13-year period. They tracked the patient's drinking habits and found that people who drank at least one cup coffee a day were 49% less likely to get tumours than those who rarely or never drank coffee.

The study findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, suggested that certain chemicals found in caffeine protect the body's DNA against damage that can lead to cancer. Study also found that Britons drink around 70million cups of coffee a day. According to Cancer Research UK, around 9,000 people die with mouth and gullet cancer a year in the UK.

Researchers said in a report, "One of the most significant findings was the inverse association between coffee and those at high risk of these cancers, namely drinkers and smokers. Although quitting alcohol and smoking is the best known way to help reduce the risk, coffee could be a preventive factor." Earlier studies on coffee consumption found it to have mixed effects but the recent study has positive effects.