ATLANTA (AP/WAOK) – New research suggests that people who drink heavy amounts of coffee may lower their risk of dying from cancers of the mouth and throat by nearly half.

Nearly a million people had their coffee drinking habits examined as part of the study appearing online in the “American Journal of Epidemiology.”

Those who drank at least four cups a day of caffeinated coffee incurred about half the risk compared to people who did not drink coffee or only drank it occasionally.

The link remained even when the researchers took into account smoking habits and alcohol use.