Diabetes is all too common in the United States, yet it is entirely preventable. Studies have shown that almost 25% of all Americans have prediabetes, which is a health problem that includes elevated blood sugar levels to potentially cause diabetes in 10 years.

Out of the 25% of Americans, roughly 4% are aware of this problem. Of those who are aware, less than 50% attempt to make a difference by eating less, losing weight, and increasing how much they exercise. Those are just a few of the habits you need to reverse prediabetes to make sure that you do not develop the full-blown illness, which could result in blood sugar monitoring and drugs for a lifetime. Diabetes will also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and other scary health issues. Luckily, there are specific things that you can do to beat this illness, starting with your cup of Joe each day.

Harvard School of Public Health did a study of 126,210 men and women who were heavy daily coffee drinkers at up to 6 cups per day. Those that enjoyed 6 cups of coffee each day reduced their risk for diabetes over 18 years by 29% to 54%. Those that consume 4 to 5 cups of Joe each day reduced their diabetes risk by 29%, while coffee drinkers at 1 to 3 cups each day did not have a benefit. There were no results provided by drinking decaffeinated coffee. Caffeine and other products, like soda, chocolate, and tea, could also reduce this risk. Researchers within the study believed that caffeine helps boost the metabolism, and coffee also contains compounds, like magnesium, antioxidants, and potassium, to absorb sugar in the blood.

When you are considering how much coffee to drink daily, keep in mind that drinking a 16 ounce cup of Joe from Starbucks is actually equivalent to 2 cups of standard coffee, according to this study. This also means that you would only need to drink three coffee beverages from a chain like Starbucks to meet the requirement of reducing your diabetes risk by 50%. Of course, make sure not to shoot yourself in the foot by adding heavy amounts of cream and sugar to your coffee, which will derail your diet completely. If you love the taste of coffee, it is better to drink it black because it has almost no calories and will offer you the caffeine and antioxidants you need to reduce your risk for this illness every day.

Last of all, make it your goal to maintain a healthy weight to reduce your risk for this disease. Even if you lost 10 pounds, it could reduce your risk of diabetes. Extremely overweight people are 70% less likely to get diabetes if they lose only 5% of their total body weight, which is the first step in the right direction to maintaining a healthy weight, reducing your diabetes risk, and protecting your health for the long haul!