HELSINKI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Drinking coffee every day could help reduce the risk of diabetes, a researcher in Finland has found.

    Siamak Bidel, a researcher from the Finnish National Public Health Institute, found the link between coffee and diabetes after surveying about 60,000 respondents, Finnish news agency STT reported Monday.

    Bidel said that drinking coffee appeared effective in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes among overweight people and among those who consumed a lot of alcohol.

    He is yet to discover what chemicals in coffee play an important role in reducing diabetes risk, STT said.

    Half a million people suffer from diabetes in Finland, which has a population of about 5.3 million. Finns are among the world's most fanatical coffee drinkers, with annual per capita consumption averaging 12 kg.