Why drinking coffee is good for your eyes

Why drinking coffee is good for your eyes

An antioxidant found in coffee, called chlorogenic acid (or CLA), could help keep eyes healthy. That’s according to a joint study out of South Korea and the US, which concluded that this powerful antioxidant can play a role in preventing age-related eye diseases and the degeneration of eyesight.

When conducting the research, scientists looked at the impact of chlorogenic acid or CLA, a strong antioxidant that has been shown to prevent retinal degeneration in mice.

To conduct the experiment, mice were treated with nitric oxide, which creates oxidative stress and free radicals and leads to retinal degeneration. Those that were pre-treated with CLA developed no sign of retinal damage.

The retina is a thin tissue located on the back wall of the eye that receives and organises visual information. It’s also one of the most metabolically active tissues and requires high levels of oxygen. Without it, the tissue is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress and prone to the production of free radicals, which leads to tissue damage and loss of sight.

However, it’s not yet known whether or not drinking coffee delivers CLA directly to the retina.

Future studies could lead to the development of a special brew customised for retinal support, or CLA delivery via eye drops.

Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and healthyliving.msn.com

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