Scientists in China may have figured out why coffee drinkers seemingly have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

It has been a long-held belief by scientists that coffee helps lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, but now researchers Ling Zheng, of Wuhan University, and Kun Huang, of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, have claimed to have found that compounds within coffee inhibit hIAPP (human islet amyloid polypeptide), a substance linked to diabetes.

The results of their study have been released in a recent issue of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

It has long been believed that if a person drinks four or more cups of coffee a day they would have about 50 percent lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 95 percent of all cases of diabetes.

The researchers have analyzed the effects of major active compounds in coffee on hIAPP. It was found that caffeic acid and caffeine significantly inhibit hIAPP.

The researchers claimed: “These findings suggest that the beneficial effects of coffee consumption on type 2 diabetes may be partly due to the ability of major coffee components to inhibit the toxic aggression of hIAPP.”

The concluded: "A beneficial effect may thus be expected in regular coffee drinkers.”