Drinking three cups of coffee with no sugar or cream added per day may help prevent diabetes, South Korean experts said Sunday, providing a tip to the increasing number of patients in the country.

Based on a research conducted on 3,497 potential patients of diabetes, a team of doctors at Gangneung Asan Medical Center said the group which drank more black coffee saw fewer outbreaks of the disease.

The team said the group that consumed more than two cups of coffee posted an outbreak rate of 9.9 percent, hovering below the 12.1 percent held by those who drank less than a cup a day.

The number of patients under treatment for diabetes came to 2.58 million in 2014, data compiled by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service showed, up 19 percent from the 2.17 million reported in 2010.

People with a glycated hemoglobin level of between 5.7 percent and 6.4 percent are considered vulnerable to diabetes. Those with a figure hovering above 6.5 percent are considered to have diabetes.

While similar studies were also conducted in the United States, the team said the latest findings are significant as they proved the effectiveness of coffee with South Koreans as well. (Yonhap)