Consuming more than a cup of coffee a day is linked to a 22 per cent to 25 per cent lower risk of stroke, says a new study. Low or no coffee consumption is associated with an increased risk of stroke, according to the study of 34,670 women (ages 49 to 83) followed for an average 10.4 years. It’s too soon to change coffee-drinking habits, but the study should ease the concerns of some women, researchers noted. Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world.

“Therefore, even small health effects of substances in coffee may have large public health consequences,” said Susanna Larsson, lead author of the study and a researcher in the Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The study has been reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.