Coffee has been shown to have a litany of health benefits as you age. From preventing muscle loss to decreasing heart attack risk, from lower instances of frailty to just healthier aging in women, coffee is kind of a wonder drug for the golden years. But there’s a catch. According to a new study, consuming instant coffee can dramatically increases the chances of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
As reported by News-Medical.net, the study was recently published in the journal Food Science & Nutrition, where researchers from China’s Hubei University of Medicine sought to establish a link between things we consume and AMD, which is the “leading cause of vision loss among older people worldwide.” For their study, they focused on coffee in particular, as it is the most widely consumed beverage in the world outside water.
Using information from both the UK Biobank and FinnGen datasets, the researchers were able to examine over 500,000 individuals. Breaking down consumption into instant coffee, decaffeinated, and fresh ground, researchers used “genetic correlation analyses” to uncover “a significant overlap” between a genetic predisposition to consuming instant coffee and a risk of dry AMD. (Dry AMD is the most common form of the ailment.)
They were then able to establish a causal relationship using “univariable Mendelian randomization” models, which is a method used to infer causality based on genetic variants.
They found that instant coffee in particular showed a high correlation to instances of dry AMD, whereas fresh ground coffee and decaf did not. No association was found between coffee of any kind and the risk of wet AMD. Further, every standard deviation increase in instant coffee consumption is “associated with a 7.92-fold increased risk of dry AMD.” Researchers suggest the results may be due to instant coffee containing “acrylamide, oxidized lipids, and other compounds” not found in freshly brewed coffee.
It is yet another reason to stick with the good stuff. Don’t get me wrong, in a pinch instant coffee is a lifesaver and quality-wise it’s light years ahead of where it was just 10 years ago. But from a flavor perspective, it caps out around “just fine.” Which is just fine, but now with the eye sight news, it’s probably worth taking the time to make coffee the old-fashioned way. It’s better all around.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.