Latest news with #instantcoffee
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Instant coffee warning as scientists discover it could cause disease that destroys your eye sight
DRINKING instant coffee could increase the risk of a sight-robbing eye condition, research suggests. People at high risk of the disease should avoid instant brews, scientists from the Hubei University of Medicine in China said. 1 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye condition that first affects people in their 50s. While it won't cause total blindness, it can make things like reading and recognising faces difficult, and symptoms get worse without treatment. A study used genetic data from more than 500,000 people found a statistically significant link between instant coffee intake and the risk of dry AMD - one of the forms of the sight-robbing disease. In contrast, ground coffee and decaffeinated brews bore no links to AMD. "Our results revealed a genetic correlation between instant coffee consumption and dry AMD," wrote corresponding author Siwei Liu, from the Department of Ophthalmology in Shiyan Taihe Hospital at the Hubei University of Medicine. "Instant coffee may increase the risk of AMD, and reducing its intake could help prevent dry AMD. "People at high-risk for AMD should avoid instant coffee." AMD is a common eye disease and "one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness", researchers said. There are two types of it, wet AMD and dry AMD. Dry AMD is the most common form and it doesn't mean a person has dry eyes. It refers to damage to the macula - an area of the retina that allows you to see figures, shapes and details right in front of you - from abnormal protein deposits. Three signs your dry eyes could be signalling a killer disease - when to see your GP Wet AMD is less common but more severe, developing more quickly. "Epidemiological studies indicate that AMD affects nearly 200 million people worldwide, with the number expected to reach 290 million by 2040," the study authors wrote in Food Science and Nutrition. "Research has shown that genetic factors play a major role in the development of AMD. "However, given the unclear disease mechanisms and the complexity of treatment, slowing disease progression and timely prevention are particularly important." Previous research has suggested that drinking coffee may help lower the risk of AMD "In contrast, our study provided a more detailed stratification of coffee types and yielded different results, indicating potential biases in previous research," the study authors stated. Their results showed "a potential genetic correlation between instant coffee consumption and both dry and wet AMD". "We found that instant coffee significantly increases the risk of AMD," researchers said. Symptoms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects the middle part of your vision, not the edges (peripheral vision). You can get it in one eye or both. The first symptom is often a blurred or distorted area in the centre of your vision. If it gets worse, you might struggle to see anything in the middle of your vision. AMD can make things like reading, watching TV, driving or recognising faces difficult. Other symptoms include: Seeing straight lines as wavy or crooked Being sensitive to bright light Seeing flickering or flashing lights Seeing things that are not there (hallucinations) Source: NHS But the analysis couldn't show that coffee consumption can directly cause AMD, they noted. To conduct their study, the Chinese researchers used data from the UK Biobank that included details on people's coffee consumption - including how much coffee they drank in total and whether it was instant, ground or decaffeinated. They also obtained health data, including diagnoses of AMD. The study authors conducted a genetic analysis, to find out if genetic variants associated with coffee preferences also are also linked to AMD risk. They also looked at whether there were any shared genetic variants between intake of ground, decaffeinated or instant coffee and AMD risk. Researchers found a significant overlap between the genetic predisposition to instant coffee intake and the risk of dry AMD, suggesting shared DNA signals between the two traits across the human genome. There was no such link for other types of coffee. There was also no link between coffee intake and the risk of wet AMD. But researchers did find that drinking instant coffee was linked to increased risk of the sight-robbing disease. The risk increased along with instant coffee consumption. These findings suggest that processing byproducts, additives, or chemicals found only in instant coffee may contribute to the risk of dry AMD. The paper suggests that instant coffee can contain acrylamide, oxidised lipids, and other compounds not present in fresh brews. Researchers said people with early-stage AMD and patients with a genetic predisposition to AMD should consider reducing their intake of instant coffee, opting for ground beans instead.
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Expert ranks the seven major Aussie instant coffee brands amid disturbing prediction about how much café coffee will cost by the end of the year
The rising price of café-bought coffees is driving budget-conscious customers back to instant coffee for their caffeine fix. Instant coffee has made a comeback after an expert recently predicted that we could be paying between $8 and $12 on average for a barista-made coffee by the end of the year. The increase in café coffee prices comes after a recent spike in the price in the cost of coffee beans, driven by poor growing conditions and ongoing supply chain issues. These higher coffee bean prices, coupled with other rising business operation costs, have resulted in an unfortunate but inevitable increase om the cost of café coffee. As households grapple with cost-of-living pressures, it seems coffee lovers are increasingly turning to cheaper at-home alternatives - leading to the surprise re-emergence of instant coffee. With so many brands on the market, Sydney nutritionist Lee Holmes has shared her verdict on popular supermarket instant coffees. Speaking to FEMAIL, the wholefoods chef said Nescafe's two varieties - Blend 43 and Gold - were among her top picks. 'Nescafe Gold is slightly less acidic than other instant coffees, and Nescafe Blend 43 uses 100 per cent natural beans with no additives or preservatives and claims sustainable sourcing,' Lee said. 'However, if avoiding chemicals and ensuring ethical sourcing are your top priorities, you may want to look for certified organic and Fair Trade brands.' The founder of Supercharged Food then ranked the following instant coffee brands: Robert Timms in second place, followed by Aldi Alcafe, Moccona, Coles and Woolworths. Surprisingly, her least favourite was International Roast, which she placed last, describing it as a 'basic instant coffee option'. Her rating comes after Martin Brown, Australian general manager for Nestlé - which owns Nescafé - revealed that while Aussies' love of coffee remains unwavering, they're now more willing to 'trade down' from barista made-coffee to at-home alternatives. 'So we are drinking more soluble (instant) coffee, and we are drinking more premium choices of [instant] coffee,' Martin told The Australian. The company reported that its Nescafé Gold instant coffee is currently the fastest growing in the market. His comments are backed by market insight statistics showing that the at-home coffee market is on the rise in Australia and is predicted to grow annually by 3.64 per cent over the next four years. So, which instant coffee brew are we reaching for? According to Canstar Blue's Best-Rated Instant Coffee Brand of 2024, the surprise winner - which scored top marks across almost all categories - came from Aldi. Aldi's Alcafe range- which includes the Aroma Classic Instant Coffee (200g, $5.29), as well as Gold Classic and Gold Dark Instant Coffee (100g, $3.89 each) - proved popular among Aussie consumers. The budget supermarket's coffee brand received five-star reviews in the categories of taste, texture and consistency, value for money and packaging. However, it received only three stars for variety and range. A 200g jar yields around 40 cups of coffee, meaning Aldi Alcafe's Aroma Classic Instant Coffee clocks in at around 13 cents per cup. Close behind in second place was Moccona, which similarly received five-stars for taste but was marked down for value for money, as well as in the texture and consistency categories. Moccona Freeze Dried Instant Coffee Classic Medium Roast 200g is currently sold at Woolworths for $23.60 In third and fourth place were Nescafé's instant coffee varieties - Blend 43 and Nescafé Gold. At Coles, a 250g jar of Nescafé Blend 43 costs $14.50 and a 200g jar of Nescafé Gold sells for $20. Rounding out the top five was International Roast, followed by Robert Timms in sixth. Both major supermarket's own instant coffee brands ranked at the bottom of the report, with Coles in seventh place and Woolworths in last. A CHOICE taste test report from 2023 covered a broader range of instant coffee brands and consequently yielded different results. The report crowned Bushells Classic Gourmet Instant Coffee as the winner, followed by runners-up Robert Timms Full-Bodied Granulated Coffee, Coles Classic Granulated Coffee Smooth & Bold and Vittoria Mountain Grown 100% Arabica Instant Coffee Freeze Dried. The 2024 Canstar instant coffee brand winner, Aldi Alcafe, was also featured in the 2023 Choice report, where their Gold Dark Instant Coffee product placed seventh.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
9 best instant coffees to buy in 2025, taste-tested
Sometimes the quick ease of instant coffee means we're left with a tasteless, murky-watered liquid or something acidic, bitter and frankly undrinkable. But the best instant coffees combine great taste with convenience. The beverage aisle of any supermarket is now crammed full of instant coffee brands of various price points and gimmicks. In fact, it's sometimes mind-boggling to work out which is best for value and taste. With coffee producers trying to eradicate the somewhat dull and archaic image of instant coffee, many are becoming creative with their USP – our review includes a recently launched brand that uses legal drugs in its recipe, and others that are using unique flavours such as cherry bakewell and Havana rum! But while some are looking for something a little different, many of you will be calling out for a standard quick-and-easy cup of coffee to grab straight after the kettle's boiled, and we've got the basics covered below. With all the instant coffees we tried for this, we popped one or two teaspoons (depending on the instructions) into our favourite mug, and after we boiled the kettle, we waited for it to cool slightly before pouring in. We were looking for a delight to the nose as well as a rich and smooth taste and an energising pick-me-up for those 6am starts and 3pm slumps. How we tested To find the best instant coffees, we tested a range of popular and specialty brands, preparing each according to its instructions. All coffees were sampled black to fairly evaluate flavor, aroma, and texture. However, some are recommended with a splash of milk. We judged each one based on taste, aroma, and value. We also took into consideration packaging quality and ease of use. quality and performance. Why you can trust IndyBest reviews When it came to choosing the right expert for this review, Bess Browning was a natural choice. As a journalist and editor who has been contributing to IndyBest's reviews since 2021, she specialises in food and drink, having tested everything from healthy cookbooks to cheese hampers. Bess considers herself somewhat of a coffee connoisseur and has used her expertise to steer her selection of the best instant coffees below. The best instant coffees for 2025 are:
