That cup of coffee in the morning may be one of the healthiest ways to start the day, new research suggests.

Coffee lowers chronic inflammation and can even raise our level of the ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. It may also have a protective effect against type II diabetes.

Researchers, who have been looking at the benefits of coffee drinking, have discovered that the drink contains several nutrients, such as calcium, and hundreds of biologically-active compounds, such as polyphenols, which aid good health.

(Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010; doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.28548).