Could Caffeine Intake Affect Glaucoma Risk?

Greater levels of caffeine consumption were associated with an increased risk of glaucoma in individuals predisposed to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), according to the results of a recent study.

The researchers conducted a cross-sectional study of 121,374 individuals in order to evaluate the association between levels of habitual caffeine intake and IOP and glaucoma, and the effects of genetic predisposition to IOP on this relationship.

All participants had data available on daily coffee and tea intake and underwent corneal-compensated IOP measurement in 2009. They also assessed the relationship in a subset of 77,906 participants who underwent up to 5 web-based 24-hour recall food frequency questionnaires.

Overall, greater consumption of caffeine was associated only weakly with lower IOP, but in those predisposed to IOP the association was greater. Specifically, in those with the greatest IOP polygenic risk scores, consuming >480 mg/day of caffein was associated with a 0.35-mmHg higher IOP than consuming <80 mg/day of caffeine.

No relationship was shown between caffeine intake and glaucoma risk. However, those with the highest IOP polygenic risk scores who consumed 321 mg/day or more of caffeine had a 3.90-fold higher glaucoma prevalence compared with those with the lowest IOP polygenic risk scores who consumed no caffeine.

“More research is needed to confirm these gene–diet interactions and to determine whether specific genetic markers are modifying the propensity to higher IOP and glaucoma or whether it is a nonspecific critical number of any IOP markers that modify disease risk. If confirmed, our data suggest that approaches to precision nutrition that incorporate genomic data

may be needed to make recommendations regarding caffeine consumption and glaucoma risk,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference

Kim J, Aschard H, Kang JH, et al. Intraocular pressure, glaucoma, and dietary caffeine consumption. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(6):866-876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.12.009