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MONDAY, June 7, 2021 (HealthDay News) – That third or fourth cup of coffee can do more than just make your heart beat: New research suggests it could dramatically increase your risk for glaucoma if you’re genetically predisposed to eye disease.
The study involved more than 120,000 Britons, aged 39 to 73, who provided information on their caffeine intake and vision, including whether they had glaucoma or a family history of the disease, which is the leading cause of blindness in the United States.
After three years, the researchers assessed the participants’ eyes, including their intraocular pressure (IOP), which is the pressure inside the eye. High IOP is a risk factor for glaucoma.
High caffeine consumption was not associated with an increased risk of high IOP or glaucoma overall, but in participants with the strongest genetic predisposition to high IOP, higher caffeine consumption was associated with Higher IOP and higher rates of glaucoma.
Those who consumed the most caffeine – about four cups of coffee per day – had a higher IOP of 0.35 mm Hg.
People in the highest genetic risk score category for glaucoma who consumed more than about three cups of coffee per day had a 3.9 times higher rate of glaucoma than those who consumed little or no caffeine and were in the lowest genetic risk score group, the results showed.
The study, published in the June issue of the journal Ophthalmology, is the first to show a dietetic / genetic interaction in glaucoma, and suggests that people with a strong family history of glaucoma should limit their caffeine intake, the authors say.
“We have previously published work suggesting that high caffeine consumption increases the risk of high-voltage open-angle glaucoma in people with a family history of the disease,” said study director and corresponding author, the Dr Louis Pasquale. He is vice president of ophthalmic research at Mount Sinai Health System in New York.
“In this study, we show that an unfavorable relationship between high caffeine intake and glaucoma was evident only among those with the highest genetic risk score for high eye pressure,” Pasquale said in a statement. press release from Mount Sinai.
According to study co-author Dr Anthony Khawaja, associate professor of ophthalmology at University College London, “Glaucoma patients often ask if they can help protect their eyesight through changes in fashion. life, but this area has been relatively little studied so far. One study suggested that people at the highest genetic risk for glaucoma may benefit from moderation in their caffeine intake. “
Still, Khawaja added, “It should be noted that the link between caffeine and glaucoma risk has only been seen with a large amount of caffeine and in those with the highest genetic risk.”
More information
The National Eye Institute in the United States has more information on glaucoma.
SOURCE: Mount Sinai Health System, press release, June 7, 2021
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