研究：多喝咖啡有助視力
A daily cup of coffee can save your eyesight, scientists claim.
A chemical found in the drink prevents deteriorating eyesight and possible blindness from retinal degeneration due to glaucoma, ageing and diabetes.
Researchers at Cornell Univesity in New York were looking at coffee's antioxidant effects when they made the discovery.
Coffee contains 1 percent caffeine but between 7 and 9 percent chlorogenic acid which is a strong antioxidant.
The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that in mice this acid prevented retinal degeneration.
Chang Y. Lee, a professor of food science and the study's senior author 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 organise 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.’
He added: ‘The study is important in understanding functional foods, that is, natural foods that provide beneficial health effects.
‘Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, and we are understanding what benefit we can get from that.’
Previous studies have shown that coffee also cuts the risk of such chronic diseases as Parkinson's, prostate cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's and age-related cognitive declines.科學家稱，每日一杯咖啡可以拯救你的視力。
研究發現，咖啡中的一種化學成分可防止視力下降，甚至可預防青光眼、角膜老化及糖尿病所引起的視網膜退化，從而防止失明。
這項研究是紐約康奈爾大學的研究者們在研究咖啡的抗氧化作用時意外發現的。咖啡中包含1%的咖啡因，但是有7%至9%的強抗氧化劑綠原酸。這項發表在《農業與食品化學期刊》的研究發現，小白鼠體內的綠原酸可以防止視網膜退化。
食品科學教授、該研究作者之一李昌說道：“視網膜是眼中一層薄薄的膜狀組織，是眼睛數以萬計的感光細胞和其他神經細胞的接收和組織視覺信息的後壁。它也是新陳代謝最活躍的組織之一，因此需要很高的含氧量去應對氧化壓力。缺少含氧量和自由基的產生能導致視網膜組織損壞和失明。”
他還說道：“這項研究對於瞭解食物的功能十分重要。也就是說天然食品對我們的健康有益。”
“咖啡是世界上最受歡迎的飲品。我們現在知道了我們可以從中收穫什麼樣的好處。”
在此之前，曾有研究表明咖啡還可以降低帕金森氏症、前列腺癌、糖尿病、老年癡呆症以及其他由於年老引起的認知衰退等慢性疾病的風險。
