Daily Intake of Coffee Prevents Deterioration of Eyesight, Study

A new study reveals a strong association between consumption of coffee and blindness.

For millions of Americans it is a ritual to begin each day with a cup of steaming hot coffee. It is estimated that Americans drink nearly 400 million cups of coffee a day.  There is plenty of conflicting evidence out there concerning the health benefits of coffee.

The latest study offers coffee addicts another reason to grab the steaming cup.. Adding to the health benefits of coffee, researchers at Cornell University found that one cup of coffee taken daily prevents the deterioration of eyesight and possible blindness from retinal degeneration due to glaucoma, aging and diabetes.

 According to this Cornell study, on an average there is just 1 percent of caffeine in raw coffee but it does have 7-9 percent chlorogenic acid (CLA), which is a strong antioxidant.

Retina is the thin layer of tissue on the inside of the eye. It contains millions of light sensitive and nerve cells, which organize visual information . It is also a metabolically active tissue that needs high levels of oxygen and a  reduction in oxygen levels and production of free radicals can lead to damage of tissue and weight loss.

The study was conducted on mice. The mice eyes were treated with nitric oxide that leads to  oxidative stress and free radicals resulting in retinal degeneration. On the other hand the mice that were pre-treated with CLA did not developed retinal damage.

"The study is important in understanding functional foods, that is, natural foods that provide beneficial health effects," said Chang Y. Lee, professor of food science and the study's senior author. Holim Jang, a graduate student in Lee's lab, is the paper's lead author and said,  "Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, and we are understanding what benefit we can get from that."

Studies conducted earlier show that coffee lowers the risk of chronic diseases like Parkinson's, diabetes, prostate cancer and other age related cognitive declines.

 It is known that CLA along with its metabolites is easily absorbed in the human digestive system, the researchers now plan to determine whether intake of coffee allows CLA to cross a membrane called blood-retinal barrier. 

The finding was documented in the journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry