Your daily
cup of coffee is brewing some soothing news for your eyes. According to food
scientists, a daily cup of coffee can prevent eyesight deterioration and
possible blindness from retinal degeneration due to glaucoma, aging and
diabetes. "Raw coffee is just about one percent caffeine but it contains
seven to nine percent chlorogenic acid - a strong antioxidant that prevents
retinal degeneration in mice," said Chang Y Lee, a professor of food
science at Cornell University. Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, and we
understand what benefit we can get from that, he added. 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 organize 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 of
sight. The study is "important in understanding functional foods; that is
natural foods that provide beneficial health effects", Lee noted. Previous
studies have shown that coffee also cuts the risk of such chronic diseases as
Parkinson's, prostate cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and age-related cognitive
declines.
By Mercy Kukah
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