LONDON: In a treat to coffee lovers, researchers have found that drinking coffee may help in reducing the risk of developing gallstones.

“We have tested the hypothesis that high coffee intake causally protects against symptomatic gallstone disease,” said researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

According to the research published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, among 104,493 individuals, those who drank more than six cups of coffee per day had a 23 percent lower risk of developing symptomatic gallstones compared with individuals who did not drink coffee.

Drinking one extra cup of coffee per day was associated with a three percent lower risk, the study said.