Coffee’s benefits go above and beyond a buzz for women; while they drink it, they're also reducing their risk of endometrial cancer. Researchers from the Imperial College London studied how different foods may affect the risk of endometrial cancer and published their findings in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Researchers studied the diets of 456,000 women from two different studies, and narrowed in on more than 2,800 women who were diagnosed with endometrial cancer, a cancer that spreads throughout the lining of the uterus. They compared 84 different foods and nutrients in their diets until they found coffee intake consistently lowered the risk of endometrial cancer in the women. Those who said they drank three to four cups a day had an 18 percent lower risk than the other women who drank only one or two cups.

Three out of four women who wind up with endometrial cancer are 55 years and older, according to the American Cancer Society, which means they’re the age group who should be sipping down the benefits.

"We were not surprised by the results that a high versus low intake of coffee was associated with a reduced risk for endometrial cancer, because they were consistent with what has been observed in previous studies," said the study’s lead author Melissa Merritt, a cancer researcher at the Imperial College London in England, in a press release. "We used similar methods to investigate the association between coffee intake and endometrial cancer as previous studies. This is important so we can compare results across different studies."

In addition to coffee, the team identified eight other edible items that were associated with the risk of endometrial cancer. The total amount of fat, monounsaturated fat, phosphorus, carbohydrates, yogurt, butter, potatoes, and cheese that women ate either increased or decreased their risk. Researchers are taking a closer look into how each food can benefit or hurt a woman's risk for this female-only cancer. Coffee consumption still had the greatest influence, which Merritt and her team believe has to do with the disease-fighting antioxidants it contains.

Coffee Cup Full Of Cancer Fighters

Coffee is a rich and plentiful source of antioxidants, which prevent or slow the rate of cell damage. Free radicals can be found in the air you breathe; they're generated when sunlight hits your skin, and they're constantly produced when the body turns food into energy, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. They damage the cells, and ultimately age the body. However, antioxidants work by defending against free radical damage. These powerful little protectors are found in vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and the minerals selenium and manganese — and coffee.

Every day, 108 million Americans wake up to their morning coffee. There have been over 19,000 studies conducted on examining the health impacts of drinking coffee. "Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," Dr. Tomas DePaulis, a research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, told WebMD. "For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good."

Source: Merritt M, et al. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 2015.

February 8, 2015: A previous version of this article incorrectly referred to endometrial cancer as endometriosis in a few places. Endometriosis and endometrial cancer are two mostly unrelated conditions, and only very rarely does endometriosis lead to endometrial cancer.