Health warning: Study warns of link between instant coffee and going blind

Scientists claim to have found a direct link between degenerative blindness and something millions of people do every day - grabbing a cup of coffee.

The shocking research development has been unearthed by Chinese doctors who claim to have found that instant coffee can cause significant eye disease.

Blurred and distorted central vision are just two of the symptoms that are more prevalent in people who drink instant coffee regularly, according to the study.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is responsible for parts of the retina inside the eye to break down, affecting people’s ability to read and differentiate between people and objects.

The link between the way instant coffee is made and, release of a chemical called acrylamide, which has been proven to enter the bloodstream and damage the retina.

“People at high risk of age-related macular degeneration should avoid instant coffee,’ said study director and ophthalmologist Dr Qi Jia.

“Instant coffee may increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration, and reducing its intake could help prevent it.

“People at high risk of age-related macular degeneration should avoid instant coffee.’ Dr Jia added via the Daily Mail.

Other risk factors that can accelerate the correlation between the two are being overweight, smoking and high blood pressure.

The latest study used data from the UK Biobank and the FinnGen consortium, which tracks the genetics of people in Britain and Finland.

Using a methodology, there was evidence that people’s genes decide which coffee they prefer, whether they prefer a more bitter or smoother taste and if they can tolerate caffeine.

Results showed those placed in the instant coffee group were 692 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with dry age-related macular degeneration — where the macula, in the centre of the eye and responsible for central vision, deteriorates over time.

They also said they were 159 per cent more likely to suffer from wet age-related macular degeneration, where abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula, causing vision complications.

Participants were only considered to have developed AMD if it appeared after their 50th birthday and was diagnosed by a physician.

There is no cure for AMD, and researchers emphasised that more work is needed to confirm the findings of the study, which included 7,600 participants who had dry AMD and 5,900 who had wet AMD.

Previous studies have shown that coffee could reduce the risk of AMD.

A 2023 study involving 67,000 adults linked coffee drinking to a thickening of nerve fiber layers in the eye, helping to protect vision.

However, the new study is one of the few to look at different types of coffee.