GLAUCOMA: WILL YOU COME TO THE RESCUE OF HOT COFFEE?

GLAUCOMA: WILL YOU COME TO THE RESCUE OF HOT COFFEE?

They say that half of the world’s population drinks 3 cups of coffee a day. There’s also some data that this habit reduces the risk of liver disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Scientists from Sao Paulo have come to the conclusion that coffee, if you drink those 3 cups, is an excellent way to combat atherosclerosis, a condition which does everything it can to give you a heart attack or stroke.

Plaque, which is created by atherosclerosis, consists of calcium among other things, and coffee somehow neutralizes it. But again, you need to drink about 3 cups. If it’s less, this will not work. Let’s not dive into the exciting details on how this study was conducted, like how they compared those drinking 3 cups to those having only 2, or none at all. The only problem is that no one tells us what exactly they mean by “cup”.

Maybe my cup is twice as big as yours. They also don’t report what kind of coffee was used, although it’s clear it was probably Brazilian.

But is there any difference between espresso and cappuccino, with sugar or without, or perhaps the method for making it? I think I represent the purists – I only make it in a jezve and without sugar.

In the article from which this data is derived, it only said that the subjects were around 50 years old and their arteries were checked using computer tomography (which my insurance doesn’t cover).

But let’s not nit-pick. Here’s what was most interesting:

It turns out that this rule, or better yet – tendency (to work against atherosclerosis), only applies to non-smokers. Specifically, those who don’t smoke and drink 3 cups a day are 63% less likely to have atherosclerosis. But in smokers, coffee has no influence. The lead scientist on this study shares his thoughts – “Perhaps the destructive effects of smoking exceed that of benefit from the coffee, and these benefits are only available to those who have never smoked”.

And that’s how the transgressors, even former ones, are excluded. I hope scientists compared data with control groups of smokers and non-smokers who do not drink coffee. That said, to counteract the calcification of arteries using a method as pleasant as drinking black coffee, only non-smokers have that chance.

Last time, we discussed hot tea and glaucoma. It turns out, that the same coffee that decreases the likelihood of atherosclerosis and heart attack also increases the chance for glaucoma. Scandinavians suffer from it more often than others, because they drink more. Coffee increases intraocular pressure, although only for a short period of time. If you drink moderately, that’s ok, but 3-5 cups a day are a risk. But at the same time, you have a reduced risk of diabetes, high cholesterol, and as previously noted myocardial infarction. This reminds me a little of Daniil Kharms – “I fixed my tooth, but my skull was still cracked”.

It’s important to remember that glaucoma is asymptomatic for a long time. Half the people suffering from it are unaware, and this is becoming increasingly common outside of Sweden. Maybe because of coffee, maybe not. In any case, it’s better to not treat it with 3 cups or even one large one, but by a specialist. And at BEI, in short, we have doctors as well as wonderful espresso, but this is purely between us.

S. Varo