This kind of coffee could dramatically increase your risk of going blind, study finds

article

FILE-A cup of coffee sits on a table. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Coffee is popular for many, serving as a pick-me-up to get their day started or a boost of caffeine to offer a jolt of energy.

And while this beverage is enjoyable for a lot of reasons, a recent study published in the journal Food Science & Nutrition reveals that drinking instant coffee may significantly elevate your risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

How was the data gathered?

Dig deeper:

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye disease and one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness. According to the study, AMD can be classified into two types: wet AMD and dry AMD, according to the study.

RELATED: Drinking coffee may boost odds of aging well, study finds

The team assessed data from more than 500,000 people in the UK Biobank and learned that instant coffee drinkers with a certain genetic vulnerability were more likely to develop dry AMD, the more common form of the disease. Researchers also reviewed data of cases for people 50 years old or older diagnosed with dry AMD by a physician and individuals aged 50 or older diagnosed with wet AMD by a physician.

Dry AMD is a disease of the macula, which is the part of the eye that sits near the center of the retina. According to MedicalNewsToday, this part of the eye usually allows for high-resolution color vision. However, dry AMD causes the macula’s light-sensitive cells to die, making it difficult for an individual to see clearly.

RELATED: What the latest study on coffee says about heart risk

MedicalNewsToday noted that blurry vision is often an initial sign of AMD. And long-term, an individual loses their central field of vision, and in dry AMD, these changes happen gradually. Meanwhile, in wet AMD, leaky blood vessels develop under the macula and speed up retinal damage.

What are researchers saying about the study?

Big picture view:

Researchers concluded in their analysis that instant coffee may increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and lowering your instant coffee consumption may prevent dry AMD, and people at high-risk for AMD should avoid instant coffee intake.

However, the team acknowledged their report had limitations, and they only conducted the study with a European population and admitted that additional studies are needed to include a wider range of populations. 

They also explained that their categories of coffee consumption require more detail and future studies should consider other types of coffee flavors, like “dark roast coffee” or “medium roast coffee,” which could also pose more potential risks associated with AMD.