May 06, 2014 12:13 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Drinking coffee may help prevent deteriorating eyesight and possible blindness from retinal degeneration due to glaucoma, aging and diabetes, according to a recent study The Post-Standard reported.

Researchers from Cornell University in New York found raw coffee is, on average, just 1 percent caffeine, but it contains 7 to 9 percent chlorogenic acid, a strong antioxidant that prevents retinal degeneration in mice, researchers said.

The retina is a thin tissue layer on the inside, back wall of the eye with millions of light-sensitive cells and other nerve cells that receive and organize visual information. It is also one of the most metabolically active tissues, demanding high levels of oxygen and making it prone to oxidative stress. The lack of oxygen and production of free radicals leads to tissue damage and loss of sight.

"[The study is] important in understanding functional foods, that is natural foods that provide beneficial health effects," Chang Y. Lee, senior author of the study and professor of food science, said in a statement.

For the study, mice eyes were treated with nitric oxide, "which creates oxidative stress and free radicals, leading to retinal degeneration," The Post-Standard reported. Mice that were pretreated with chlorogenic acid developed no retinal damage.

Researchers told The Post-Standard that the next step for this research is to determine whether drinking coffee facilitates "chlorogenic acid to cross a membrane known as the blood-retinal barrier. If drinking coffee proves to deliver chlorogenic acid directly into the retina, doctors may one day recommend an appropriate brew to prevent retinal damage."

Previous studies have suggested coffee may also cut the risk for chronic diseases, such as Parkinson's, prostate cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and age-related cognitive declines.

The findings were recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

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