La Cimbali learn how drinking coffee can help prevent sight diseases
Cimbali ask – can your morning Espresso really help your eyesight?
If you are like a lot of people in the world, then it is likely that one of the first things that you do in the morning is drink a cup of coffee to wake yourself up! But new research has also shown that a daily Espresso fix may also be helping your eyesight.
Scientists claim that a chemical found in the drink prevents deteriorating eyesight and possible blindness from retinal degeneration due to Glaucoma, ageing and Diabetes.
Researchers at Cornell University in New York were looking at coffee’s antioxidant effects when they made the discovery. Coffee contains 1% caffeine but between 7% and 9% chlorogenic acid (CLA) which is a strong antioxidant.
The study, which was published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, found that in mice this acid prevented retinal degeneration. The retina is a thin tissue layer on the inside back wall of the eye with millions of light-sensitive cells and other nerve cells that receive and organise visual information. It is also one of the most metabolically active tissues, demanding high levels of oxygen and making it prone to oxidative stress. The lack of oxygen and production of free radicals leads to tissue damage and loss if sight.
However it is not yet known whether or not drinking coffee delivers CLA directly to the retina the researchers stress, and further studies are being conducted to develop a special brew customised for retinal support, or CLA delivery via eye drops.
The study showed that functional or natural foods can have beneficial health effects. Coffee is now the most popular drink in the world and can have many health benefits and also cut the risk of such chronic diseases as Parkinson’s, Prostrate Cancer, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s and age related cognitive declines.
As with everything these days, there can be too much of a good thing. It is all about moderation – so ensure that your coffee drinking and other food and beverage pleasures in life are kept within sensible limits, and that way you will enjoy them all the more!
