Drinking this ancient beverage will do more than just perk you up in the morning. It may hold the key to keeping sharp vision by protecting your retinas from harm.

Preserve Your Vision With This Ancient Beverage

In All Health Watch, Anti-Aging, Diet and Nutrition, Featured Article, General Health

We’ve told you before how coffee may help prevent cancer, improve memory, and even help you live longer. But new research shows that there may be an even more tangible benefit to starting each morning with a cup: It may help preserve your eyesight.

Researchers at the American Chemical Society looked at natural ways to support retinal health. They found that a certain antioxidant found in coffee prevents cell death in the retina by at least 73%. In some cases, it didn’t just prevent cell damage—it actually increased the number of healthy cells.1

It’s called chlorogenic acid (CGA). And we get it mostly from coffee. CGA makes up as much as 12% of raw coffee. Just a single cup can give you 200mg.2 And drinking it may be the easiest thing you can do to help support healthy eyes.

When oxygen isn’t getting to your retinas, it can cause major problems. That’s because oxygen gets absorbed faster in your retinas than anywhere else in your body. That includes your brain.3 Without enough oxygen, your retinal cells may not function properly. They could die off entirely. And it gets harder for your retinas to get enough oxygen as you age.

Researchers gave doses of nitric oxide to mice. This caused oxidative stress and retina damage. It mimicked the effects of normal aging on the retina. The experiments also took place in a hypoxic chamber. This gave the mice less oxygen.

Without enough oxygen, your retinas won’t be able to get the nutrients they need… But the mice that received CGA reduced retinal cell death by over 70%. The group that received the most CGA reduced cell death by 101%. This means that they actually added healthy cells.

Your retinas are extremely sensitive to oxidative stress. Too much can lead to age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. These conditions can both lead to partial—or even full—blindness. Coffee packs high amounts of the CGA that can help keep your vision clear. And talk about an added perk: It may also help you shed some pounds in time for swimsuit season.

Adding a cup or two of to your morning may help support healthy retinas. It also helps increase circulation by up to 30%. If you combine it with other natural solutions for maintaining eyesight—like the potent antioxidant astaxanthin—you’ll be giving your eyes even more support.

Be sure to find a clean, high-quality source of organic coffee. This will help lower your exposure to mycotoxins that attack your immune system.4 You’ll also be able to find natural coffee extracts with high amounts of CGA in health stores and online.

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References:
1http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jf404285v
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4http://www.bulletproofexec.com/why-bad-coffee-makes-you-weak/