Coffee today is associated with many positive effects for human health.

Last month, scientists reported that consumption of coffee can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Now a new study has shown that this fragrant drink is able to prevent vision impairment, and even blindness associated with retinal diseases.

Researchers from the University of Cornell in Ithaca (USA) published their results in a specialized edition of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

We all know that the main component of coffee is caffeine, an alkaloid, a stimulating nervous system. But according to the research team of Dr. ChangLee, green coffee beans contain only 1% of this substance, and there are coffee varieties with a mutant caffeine gene that do not contain this alkaloid at all.

But in each coffee bean contains 7-9% of chlorogenic acid (CGA) - an antioxidant, which has a mass of beneficial effects. For example, promotes weight loss and lowers blood pressure.

Previous studies have demonstrated that chlorogenic acid is a powerful neuroprotective agent. Today there is a huge interest in new neuroprotectors that protect nerve cells from hypoxia - oxygen deficiency.

Coffee and vision.

The researchers found that coffee and CGA extract protect laboratory mice from retinal degeneration.

The retina is a thin layer of cells in the back of the eye that is responsible for perceiving light, receiving and organizing visual information. This layer is very sensitive to hypoxia.

"The retina is one of the most metabolically active tissues in our body, which consumes oxygen faster than other tissues, even faster than the brain. Thus, the retina is very sensitive to various conditions that are associated with oxidative stress, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma. All these diseases lead to complete blindness, "write the scientists.

Researchers are interested in the effects of coffee, especially chlorogenic acid, which can prevent hypoxia and degeneration of the retina in mice.

CGA and coffee extract slow down cell death.

During its research, the team first tested the effect of CGA on ganglionic cells of the retina (RGC) - neurons located near the inner surface of the retina, which are most sensitive to hypoxia.

When exposed to nitric oxide, cell damage was initiated, and prior treatment with chlorogenic acid protected cells well.

The team induced retinal injury by using a process called optic nerve puncture (opticnervecrush). After that, they used chlorogenic acid to protect neurons from hypoxia.

Scientists have found that CGA and extract of coffee beans increase the stability of ganglion cells of the retina, preventing the violation of the regulation of the cellular protein Thy-1.

Commenting on the results of his research, Lee said: "Our work suggests that CGA and coffee extract are responsible for stopping apoptosis of RGC cells induced by hypoxia and nitric oxide. Thus, the consumption of coffee can provide additional health benefits in the form of prevention of retinal degeneration ".

This year, foreign publications talked about a study in which scientists have proved that only 1-2 cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of death from cirrhosis by 66%. And another team of researchers said that coffee can protect men from prostate cancer.

But not everyone of us believes that coffee is good for health. A 2013 study, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings by staff at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, linked consumption of 4 or more cups of coffee with the risk of early death. Another study suggested that in men, two cups of coffee a day increase the risk of urinary incontinence.

medbe. en.