Experts reveal: Coffee causes a rare medical condition. What is it?

Recent research from the Department of Ophthalmology at Shiyan Taihe Hospital, Hubei Medical University, China, revealed that regular consumption of instant coffee may increase the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD), an eye disease that affects central vision. The finding was published in the journal Food Science & Nutrition and reported on by Medical News Today.

According to the study, each increase in instant coffee consumption increases the risk of dry AMD by up to 6.9 times, which is alarming for millions of frequent consumers of this processed beverage.

Dry AMD is a degenerative disease that primarily affects older adults and can lead to progressive loss of central vision. Scientists used Mendelian randomization genetic analysis to identify a causal relationship between instant coffee and this visual condition, with statistically significant results.

The problem appears to be related to the way instant coffee is produced. The industrial process generates compounds such as acrylamide and advanced glycation end products (AGEs), known to promote oxidative stress and inflammation in ocular tissues, particularly the retina.

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Only instant coffee poses a risk, not ground coffee.

One of the study's most notable points is that the risk is limited exclusively to instant coffee . No evidence was found linking ground, decaffeinated, or filtered coffee with an increased likelihood of developing AMD.

This indicates that the problem is not the coffee itself, but its industrialized form of presentation, a point reinforced by experts cited by Ophthalmology Times and News-Medical.net.

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What do eye health experts recommend?

Given these findings, ophthalmologists recommend moderating instant coffee consumption, especially in older people or those with a family history of eye disease. They also emphasize the importance of regular eye exams. A diet rich in antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin E, and vitamin C can help protect eye health, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI) in the United States. The study is clear: instant coffee, being highly processed, contains substances that can damage eye cells and promote degenerative diseases. Although more long-term studies are needed, the recommendation is to avoid excessive consumption and opt for traditionally prepared coffee.