New analysis shows the popular beverage is associated with a lower risk of death with the largest reduction in risk coming from three cups a day.

Increasing consumption to above that amount was not associated with harm, but the beneficial effects were less pronounced.

Coffee was also associated with a lower risk of several cancers, including prostate, endometrial, skin and liver cancer, as well as Type 2 diabetes, gallstones and gout. The greatest benefit was seen for liver conditions, like cirrhosis.

Dr Robin Poole of the University of Southampton, who led the research, said coffee was “more likely to benefit health than harm.”

“Importantly, outside of pregnancy, existing evidence suggests that coffee could be tested as an intervention without significant risk of causing harm,” he added.

His fresh review of more than 200 global studies chimes with previous reviews that have declared the hot drink a cure-all. 

Dr Poole and researchers from the University of Edinburgh reviewed 201 studies that had aggregated data from observational research and 17 studies that collected statistics from clinical trials. 

They found that drinking coffee was consistently associated with a lower risk of death from all causes. 

There also appeared to be beneficial associations between consumption and Parkinson’s disease, depression and Alzheimer’s.

There was less evidence for the effects of drinking decaffeinated coffee, but it had similar benefits, they said. 

Coffee is one of the world’s most commonly consumed drinks with an estimated 2.25billion cups drank around the world each day. 

It contains a number of wonder compounds which possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic properties which scientists believe might explain why drinkers experience lower rates of chronic liver disease and liver cancer.

Findings from the world’s largest study into coffee and its impact on health, published earlier this year, showed it was a “wonderful medicine” and those who consumed it regularly could cheat an early death.

Scientists based their results on data from more than 500,000 people in 10 European countries, including Britain. 

They claimed the results indicated moderate intake was safe and enjoying an espresso, cappuccino or latte could offer protection, particularly from circulatory and digestive diseases. 

Adjusting for lifestyle factors researchers found the group with the highest consumption of coffee had a lower risk for all-causes of death, compared to those who did not drink coffee. 

And coffee drinkers may have healthier livers and better glucose control than non-coffee drinkers.

Dr Marc Gunter, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said: “We are not at the stage of recommending people to drink more or less coffee. 

“That said, our results suggest moderate coffee drinking – up to around three cups per day – is not detrimental to your health, and that incorporating coffee into your diet could have health benefits.”

Eliseo Guallar, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said: “Moderate coffee consumption seems remarkably safe and it can be incorporated as part of a healthy diet by most of the adult population.”