Beijing: A new study suggests that drinking instant coffee may significantly increase the risk of developing dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), especially in people with specific genetic markers. AMD affects around 200 million people worldwide and is a leading cause of vision loss among older adults.
Most cases are “dry” type, caused by natural ageing damage to the eye’s macula. Researchers from Hubei University of Medicine analyzed data from over 500,000 people in the UK Biobank and the Finngen GWAS dataset, using genetic tools to identify links between coffee habits and AMD.
They found that individuals genetically inclined to consume instant coffee faced nearly a sevenfold increase in dry AMD risk. Lead author Dr Siwei Liu explained that shared biological pathways might connect genetic preference for instant coffee to AMD development. No link was found with wet AMD or other coffee types.
Experts urge caution, noting that while the findings are compelling, more research is needed before advising people to stop drinking instant coffee. Some also see this as another warning about the health risks of ultra-processed foods. Future studies will aim to confirm these results and examine how diet, genetics, and metabolism interact in eye disease progression.
