Cornell University Study Finds Coffee is Good for Your Eyes

Coffee may be better for you than you thought. Cornell University researchers discovered that coffee helps prevent degenerative eyesight.

Their study, "Chlorogenic Acid and Coffee Prevent Hypoxia-Induced Retinal Degeneration," was published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The researchers specifically found that coffee has the ability to protect the retina - a thin layer of tissue on the inside back wall of the eye that contains millions of light-sensitive cells and other nerve cells that receive and organize visual information.

One of the neuroprotectants in coffee is called chlorogenic acid, which was found to inhibit the development of hypoxia, a reduction in retinal oxygen supply caused by a multitude of conditions. Incidentally, coffee is the main source of chlorogenic acid intake for humans, but it's also found in tea, fruits, and vegetables.

The experiments were conducted with mice, who were anaesthetized by intraperitoneal injection so the researchers could expose the retina and cause damage using optic nerve crush. The other eye was left healthy so the researchers could examine chlorogenic acid's affect on different eyes.

The mice's eyes were then exposed nitric acid, which creates oxidative stress as well as free radicals that lead to retinal degeneration. However, the mice that were treated with chlorogenic acid did not experience retinal degeneration when exposed to the nitric acid.

The study is "important in understanding functional foods, that is, natural foods that provide beneficial health effects," Chang Lee, professor of food science and the study's senior author, said in this Cornell Chronicle article. "Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, and we are understanding what benefit we can get from that."

The authors concluded that chlorogenic acid and coffee extract were effective in preventing retinal damaged induced by hypoxia and nitric acid. In addition to decreasing the risk of developing Parkinson's, prostate cancer, and diabetes, it is now believed that coffee can protect the longevity of your eyesight.