Drinking a cup of coffee every day could help prevent eyesight deterioration and even blindness.
The hot drink could fight retinal degeneration brought on by "glaucoma, aging and diabetes," a Cornell University news release reported.
Raw coffee is about one percent caffeine and between seven and nine percent chlorogenic acid, which is an antioxidant that has been shown to prevent retinal degeneration in mice.
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," the news release reported. It is extremely metabolic and demands high levels of oxygen, which can lead to oxidative stress.
A lack of oxygen coupled with a reduction in free radical production could lead to tissue damage and eventually blindness.
"[The study is] important in understanding functional foods, that is, natural foods that provide beneficial health effects," Chang Y. Lee, professor of food science and the study's senior author said in the news release. "Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, and we are understanding what benefit we can get from that."
Coffee can also cut the risk of chronic diseases such as "Parkinson's, prostate cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and age-related cognitive declines," the news release reported.
The coffee antioxidants can be consumed regularly with few side effects or correlated health risks.
"Coffee has a long history of being blamed for many ills - from stunting your growth to claims that it causes heart disease and cancer. But recent research indicates that coffee may not be so bad after all," MayoClinic reported.
Unfiltered coffee has been associated with mild spikes in cholesterol level. Two or more cups a day could increase the risk of heart disease, especially in people who have a genetic mutation that affects how quickly coffee is metabolized in the body.
