Not only is coffee a great way to start the day, it could be helping you live longer.

A new study examining the health benefits of your morning cup claims regularly drinking coffee could be helping fight off diseases that develop in old age.

Researchers at Stamford University spent a year examining blood sample analysis, survey date and medical histories of over 100 people of a range of ages to find out why coffee drinkers, on average, tend to live longer than those who don’t include the drink in their diet.

Documenting their results in the journal Nature Medicine, they revealed evidence of a correlation between coffee consumption and reduced elevation levels of inflammation, which is believed to trigger many, if not most, chronic diseases.

Most of the older participants had increased levels of activity in their inflammation-related genes, however coffee drinkers had lower levels of activity, more akin to those of a younger age.

Study author David Furman, consulting associate professor at the Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, at Sanford told Time Magazine: “The more caffeine people consumed, the more protected they were against a chronic state of inflammation.”

Inflammation is linked to a host of chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, joint disorders and heart problems and their results found that caffeine inhibits the inflammatory gene pathway, essentially turning it off.

It’s not the first time coffee drinking has been linked to anti-aging.

Last year a study by Harvard University found the high level of antioxidants, which can help protect cells from damage, meant in some cases it had a protective effect against some cancers and other diseases.

All in all, it’s good news for coffee drinkers and just another reason to indulge in another cup of your favourite drink.