Khaberni - How do you drink your morning coffee? Do you prefer filtered coffee, capsules, French press, or instant coffee? Research has shown a connection between drinking instant coffee and age-related macular degeneration, a major cause of vision loss after age 50.
In a study conducted on more than half a million people, scientists from Hubei University of Medicine in China found a link between consuming instant coffee and the risk of developing dry age-related macular degeneration - a form of this disease that causes vision loss.
A genetic link between coffee and macular degeneration
According to "The Sun" newspaper, the study found that when people who carry genes that increase the risk of this condition drink more than the average consumption of instant coffee (two cups daily), their risk of developing it increases further.
Researcher Xuey Liu, from the Department of Ophthalmology at Xi'an Taihe Hospital of Hubei Medical University, said: "Our findings revealed a genetic relationship between the consumption of instant coffee and dry age-related macular degeneration."
Four Cups Double the Risk
Increasing the consumption of instant coffee from two to four cups increased the risk of developing the disease by about seven times.
The researchers issued a warning to people at risk for this condition, which they described as "one of the main causes of incurable blindness."
