Like thousands of other people you may be starting your day with a cup of coffee. Maybe you consume more caffeine as your day goes by. But did you ever think that it might be seriously bad for you? Scientists at UCL found that big doses of daily caffeine may be linked to an increased risk of glaucoma, but only for some people.
You may unknowingly have a genetic predisposition to glaucoma and daily caffeine consumption may make this condition closer to you. Image credit: Dan Gold via Wikimedia
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Caffeine is already not great for your heart if you are consuming lots of it. Furthermore, energy drinks are even worse because of sugar and other additives. Even some of the beverages that people call coffee are more like desserts. Limiting your consumption of these products is a great idea for your personal health. Especially if you are genetically predisposed to higher eye pressure.
British scientists analysed records of more than 120,000 participants between 2006 and 2010. These people, aged between 39 and 73 years, provided their health records along with DNA samples to the UK Biobank and also gave some information about their lifestyle choices, such as caffeine consumption. After three years participants had their intraocular pressure (IOP) measured. Scientists found that while high caffeine intake was not associated with increased risk for higher IOP or glaucoma overall, it was a risk factor for those who have the strongest genetic predisposition to elevated IOP.
This study showed that those people who consume around four cups of coffee (480 milligrams of caffeine) per day and have genetic predisposition for glaucoma had a 0.35 mmHg higher IOP. And that is important – by consuming a lot of caffeine these people are pulling glaucoma closer to themselves, making their risk of losing vision even higher.
Dr Anthony Khawaja, co-author of the study, said: “Glaucoma patients often ask if they can help to protect their sight through lifestyle changes, however this has been a relatively understudied area until now. This study suggested that those with the highest genetic risk for glaucoma may benefit from moderating their caffeine intake.”
It is important to stress that this effect was only seen in people who have a genetic predisposition to a higher IOP. Most people do not have this issue. Also, people rarely consume 480 milligrams of caffeine per day. Some do and if you’re one of those people, you should reconsider your choices just in case you may be genetically predisposed to glaucoma.
You may now know what your genes have in store for you. Checking your eyes regularly is a good habit to have. But also, watch your diet. You don’t need those energy drinks for your energy. You don’t need four cups of coffee every day. Exercise, eat healthy and limit your coffee and sugar consumption – it is really not that hard.
Source: UCL