In a large study conducted by Harvard University tracking of over 80,000 women, it was found that regular coffee intake reduced gallstone formation. The researchers correlated daily coffee consumption with incidence of gallbladder surgery due to stones: with increasing coffee consumption, gallstone surgery went down compared to those who did not drink coffee: 1 cup per day had no evident effect, but 2 cups per day reduced the incidence of the surgery by 9%, 3 cups reduced the incidence by 22%, and 4 or more cups reduced the incidence by 28%. Clearly, 3 cups per day, which is a typical amount for people who drink coffee routinely, had a dramatic effect.