There is a lot of research on how coffee impacts health and blood sugar. We have written extensively about what you should and shouldn’t add to your coffee to help your health. What we haven’t written about is Instant coffee.
We know that some people clutch their pearls at the idea of instant coffee! Our team has varied opinions on it. One of our team members swears by it for a fast, easy and less expensive routine. She loves coffee but wants it fast and inexpensive. While coffee snobs might not love it, instant coffee can be delicious if you make it right. But it might not offer the same health benefits that regular coffee does.
Researchers from Hubei Univ. found that drinking instant coffee can lead to the development of dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD). The researchers said people who are at risk of the condition should avoid instant coffee and opt for ground beans instead.
The study used the genetic, diet and medical data of more than 500,000 people from the UK Biobank. It looked at how much coffee people drank and if it was instant or ground, caffeinated or decaffeinated. They also looked at how many people were genetically predisposed to AMD and how many people developed the condition.
They learned that people who were genetically predisposed to dry AMD were more likely to pick instant coffee. And they found that of the coffee drinkers, instant coffee drinkers were more likely to be diagnosed with dry AMD.
Instant coffee has byproducts and additives in it that aren’t found in regular coffee grounds. The researchers believe that the oxidized lipids and other compounds in the drink can raise the risk of dry AMD, especially in people who are already at risk.
“AMD is a leading cause of vision loss among the elderly in developed countries,” said Dr. Siwei Liu, a researcher on the study. “As there is currently no cure, identifying new modifiable factors is crucial for slowing disease progression, preserving vision, and improving patients’ quality of life.”
Dr. Liu pointed out that coffee is rich in beneficial polyphenols and antioxidants and is one of the most widely drank beverages globally. She also pointed out that research shows our genes influence our food choices. By looking at coffee preference, they found an overlap in a person’s preference for instant coffee and a higher risk for dry AMD.
The study did not find that a person’s coffee preference impacted their risk for wet AMD. But, for people who were genetically predisposed to it, drinking instant coffee raised the risk of dry AMD sevenfold.
Dr. Liu is hopeful about the potential for her team’s work. “It provides new insight into AMD pathogenesis and offers a potential direction for personalized prevention strategies, such as gene-informed lifestyle interventions.”
