rinking tea every day may improve health, extend life and help reduce the danger of some life-threatening diseases, latest research suggests.

Chinese scientists found that drinking two-to-four cups of tea lowered the danger of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

“Higher tea intake was related to lower mortality risk amongst those drinking two or more cups per day,” the study found. “These findings suggest that tea, even at higher levels of intake, may be a part of a healthy weight-reduction plan.”

The researchers, who evaluated 11 years of information, published their findings within the Annals of Internal Medicine. Their findings might be presented next week on the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

The study found that “higher tea intake was modestly related to lower all-cause mortality risk amongst those that drank two or more cups per day.”

Drinking at the very least 4 cups per day of black, green or oolong tea lowered the danger of Type 2 diabetes by 17%. Drinking one-to-three cups every day lowered the danger by 4% and the danger of developing diabetes went down by 1% for every additional cup.

Xiaying Li, a co-author of the study and a researcher at Wuhan University of Science and Technology, said in an announcement that the outcomes are “exciting” because they provide hope for people to minimize their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.