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(Valentyn Volkov)

ITHACA, NY - An antioxidant found in coffee may prevent deteriorating eyesight and blindness, according to food scientists at Cornell University.

A Cornell study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that chlorogenic acid, a strong antioxidant contained in coffee, prevents retinal degeneration in mice.

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. The lack of oxygen and production of free radicals leads to tissue damage and loss of sight, according to the study.

In the study, mice eyes were treated with nitric oxide, which creates oxidative stress and free radicals, leading to retinal degeneration. Mice pretreated with chlorogenic acid developed no retinal damage.

Cornell said 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.

The study is "important in understanding functional foods, that is, natural foods that provide beneficial health effects," Chang Y. Lee, professor of food science and the study's senior author, said in a news release. "Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, and we are understanding what benefit we can get from that."

Raw coffee is, on average, just 1 percent caffeine, but contains 7 to 9 percent chlorogenic acid, the study said.

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

You can contact health writer James T. Mulder at jmulder@syracuse.com or (315) 470-2245. Follow him on Twitter @JamesTMulder.

