2023-10-25 16:15:00
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One of the most common complications of type 2 diabetes patients is the so-called Diabetic retinopathy, a disease that affects the blood vessels of the eye tissue and affects the 80% of diabetes casesaccording to research recently published in the journal Nutrients. Its main cause is a prolonged increase in blood glucose over long periods, which can ultimately cause vision loss and blindness.
The surprising link between caffeine and reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes
Now, thanks to a new international study in which members of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) has discovered that moderate and high caffeine consumption can have a positive effect on these patients. Specifically, it is associated with a 65% reduction of the possibilities of suffering from this eye condition in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
The new study links moderate and high caffeine consumption with a reduction of up to 65% in suffering from this eye disease.
“The research showed a close relationship between caffeine consumption and the reduction in the incidence of retinopathy in patients without other late diabetic complications,” details Minerva Granado, IRBLleida researcher, professor at the University of Lleida (UdL) and the Research Center. Biomedical in Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases Network (CIBERDEM)who states that, although the discovery is not conclusive, The results of the research “allow us to take an important step in the impact of ophthalmology on people with diabetes.”
Specifically, the researchers conducted a survey of 144 patients affected by diabetic retinopathy and 147 who did not have this condition, data that was analyzed by an experienced ophthalmologist.
In the study, the center staff administered a questionnaire on the frequency of food consumption to the people participating in the project, data that was then contrasted with a experiment carried out on 20 mice, who were randomly administered a drop of caffeine directly on the surface of the cornea twice a day for two weeks. However, the experimental model no corroborated the data collected in human surveys.
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Moderate and high caffeine consumption can have a positive effect on these diabetic retinopathy patients.
“More studies are needed to establish the benefits and mechanisms of caffeinated beverages in the development of diabetic retinopathy. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that, in addition to coffee, there are also other drinks that contain caffeine, so there are other compounds that can play a fundamental role in the prevention of these pathologies,” explains the researcher.
Relationship between caffeine and diabetes
Although future scientific research will be those responsible for providing conclusive data, Regarding the role of caffeine in cases of retinopathies, the scientific literature has found a relationship between caffeine consumption and diabetes.
Among them, a recent study concluded that higher levels of caffeine in the blood were associated with a lower body mass index and a lower amount of fat, conclusions that open a new avenue of study for the treatment of this and other diseases. metabolic.
Lack of oxygen in the retina
Diabetic retinopathy is a eye disease caused by medical complications derived from diabetes. In these cases, the increase in blood glucose over a long period causes progressive alteration of the blood vessels of the eye that hinder the supply of oxygen to the retinawhich results in microaneurysms, hemorrhages and losses of lipids and proteins from inside the damaged capillaries.
This simultaneously stimulates the growth of more blood vessels that try to make up for the irrigation deficit, which ends up causing irreversible damage to the retina to the point of causing vision loss or blindness.
Type 2 diabetes, a modern epidemic
On the other hand, type 2 diabetes, the sixth cause of mortality worldwide, has become a modern epidemic that worries health authorities. This disease, more common than type 1, occurs as a consequence of high presence of glucose levels in the blood due to the resistance that the body has to insulin, the hormone secreted by the pancreas that allows glucose to enter the cells.
The paradox is that, despite being a very common disease, it is a perfectly avoidable illness, since its causes are perfectly known and combatable. It is known, for example, that diabetes is a highly related to obesity, so the practice of physical exercise or a balanced diet are especially useful strategies to combat it. Thus, eating a smaller amount of calories causes the body to do not consume more glucose than necessary, thereby maximizing cellular insulin consumption.
On the other hand, physical exercise helps combat the disease in different ways: on the one hand, it helps make cells more sensitive to insulin, while indirectly it helps prevent overweight and obesity, two pathologies directly related to diabetes.
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