As a widely favorite drink, coffee gained even more popularity after studies highlighted the health benefits that come with it. According to a study that was published in the Nature Medicine journal this week, coffee can be linked to the decrease of inflammation, thus its positive indirect impact on diabetes and other health conditions.

In this correlational study, researchers from Stanford University and the University of Bordeaux examined the effects of caffeine on the immune system. It has already been known that caffeine impedes the effects of adenosine. Blocking the adenosine receptors from the brain cells is believed to be the process through which caffeine increases one’s alertness and wakes him up.

The new study sought to contribute to this effect, particularly shedding light on adenosine and caffeine. It was found that blocking adenosine could also stop up the pathways that create inflammatory molecules.

A senior author of this study, Professor Mark Davis of Stanford University released an official statement to the press. Although he and his team did not prove a direct relationship between caffeine and improved health, they were able to suggest possibilities of how coffee can actually offer health benefits.

“That something many people drink — and actually like to drink — might have a direct benefit came as a surprise to us,” Davis said while adding: “What we’ve shown is a correlation between caffeine consumption and longevity. And we’ve shown more rigorously, in laboratory tests, a very plausible mechanism for why this might be so.”

Based on a sample of 114 people, results showed that the group consuming greater amounts of caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, tea, and soda, had fewer bouts of inflammation. Higher levels of caffeine in the blood were linked to a lower product of 1L-1B and other inflammatory molecules.

The researchers have not yet offered complete explanations for the ways with which caffeine impact inflammation and the study’s findings still lack strong evidence on which lifestyle-related recommendations can be made. Still, the study on caffeine and inflammation adds to the long list of findings linking consumption of coffee and other caffeinated products to a wide range of health benefits.