A common medication for diabetes may slow down age-related vision loss, according to new research.

People with diabetes who were over the age of 55 and taking metformin — a prescription drug most commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes — were 37% less likely to develop intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) over five years compared to those not taking it.

Researchers at the University of Liverpool used eye pictures from 2,000 people who received routine diabetic eye disease screenings over the course of five years.

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Next, they assessed whether AMD was present in the photos and how severe each case was, before comparing the differences between people taking metformin and those who did not take it, according to a press release.

They also adjusted for factors that could potentially skew the results, such as age, sex and how long they’d had diabetes.

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“Most people who suffer from AMD have no treatment, so this is a great breakthrough in our search for new treatments,” said Nick Bear, an ophthalmologist at the University of Liverpool in the U.K., who led the research.

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“What we need to do now is test metformin as a treatment for AMD in a clinical trial. Metformin has the potential to save many people’s sight,” he added.

While the results are promising, researchers noted that the study was observational, meaning it shows a link between the drug and eye health, but does not prove metformin was the direct cause of the improvement.

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The study also focused only on people with diabetes. It is unclear whether the drug would have the same effect on people without the condition.

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Additionally, the researchers did not have data on the specific doses of metformin patients took or how strictly they followed their prescriptions.

Metformin is an off-patent, low-cost drug already widely used to manage blood sugar, according to Mayo Clinic.

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Scientists believe its anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties may help protect the retina.

Mayo Clinic says metformin is generally safe, but can cause digestive side effects and vitamin B12 deficiency in some patients.

Drinking two to three cups of coffee daily could reduce the risk of dementia, according to new observational research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

American researchers analyzed four decades of data from more than 130,000 doctors and nurses, finding that moderately caffeinated coffee and tea intake can lower the risk of cognitive decline, according to SWNS.

The analysis revealed that not only did participants with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee have a lower risk of dementia, but there also appeared to be a “sweet spot” where it was most effective.

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Previous findings on the relationship between coffee and dementia have been inconsistent due to limited follow-up data. To address this, researchers used information from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, tracking healthcare professionals from midlife through older age.

Over a follow-up period of up to 43 years, the team analyzed self-reported dietary patterns collected through questionnaires administered every four years.

This long-term approach allowed scientists to account for changes in coffee and tea consumption over time, while monitoring for both clinical dementia diagnoses and subtle shifts in cognitive function.

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By adjusting for variables such as smoking, physical activity and underlying health conditions, the researchers were able to isolate the specific relationship between caffeine intake and long-term brain health, SWNS noted.

Of the 131,821 participants involved in the long-term analysis, 11,033 developed dementia.

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The analysis revealed that participants with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee had an 18% lower risk of dementia compared with those who reported little or no consumption.

These participants also performed better on tests of overall cognitive function, the report noted. While higher tea intake yielded similar results, decaffeinated coffee did not, suggesting that caffeine is likely the driving neuroprotective factor.

The cognitive benefits were most pronounced in those who consumed two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of tea daily.

Dementia affects more than six million Americans and 55 million people worldwide, with the National Institutes of Health reporting more than 100,000 U.S. deaths annually. 

Experts emphasize that early prevention is crucial, as current treatments offer only modest benefits once symptoms appear. This has led scientists to investigate the role that specific lifestyle factors play in cognitive decline.

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“When searching for possible dementia prevention tools, we thought something as prevalent as coffee may be a promising dietary intervention,” senior study author Daniel Wang, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, noted in a press release from SWNS.

Both coffee and tea contain bioactive ingredients such as polyphenols and caffeine, which may reduce inflammation and cellular damage while defending against cognitive decline. Researchers referred to these properties as “neuroprotective.”

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Contrary to some previous studies, higher caffeine intake did not produce negative effects; instead, it provided consistent neuroprotective benefits even for those with a high genetic predisposition to the disease, per SWNS.

Despite the encouraging findings, Wang cautioned that the effect size is small and should be viewed as just one of many ways to protect cognitive health during aging.

Colorblindness, a condition that mostly affects men, could be linked to a higher mortality risk in bladder cancer cases, a new study suggests.

About 8% of men are estimated to have a form of color vision deficiency (CVD), compared to 0.5% of women, according to global statistics.

The condition, in which patients see and identify color differently, could cause people to miss blood in their urine, which is a vital sign of bladder cancer.

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Blood in the urine is the most common first sign of the disease and is often the impetus that leads to diagnosis, according to researchers at Stanford Medicine.

Those with colorblindness usually have difficulty seeing the colors red and green, which can present “everyday challenges.”

In the latest study, published in the journal Nature Health, researchers analyzed health records and found that bladder cancer patients who are also colorblind have a 52% higher mortality rate over 20 years than those patients with normal vision.

Since colorblind people fail to recognize blood in their urine, they may be delayed in seeking care, which can lead to worse outcomes, the findings suggest. Bladder cancer is about four times more common among men than women.

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Senior study author Ehsan Rahimy, M.D., adjunct clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at Stanford Medicine, commented in a press release that he’s “hopeful this study raises some awareness, not only for patients with colorblindness, but for our colleagues who see these patients.”

“Colorblindness doesn’t cause bladder cancer, but it may make the earliest warning sign easier to miss.”

Dr. Douglas Lazzaro, a professor in NYU Langone’s Department of Ophthalmology, said the inability to recognize the color red in this scenario is a “real risk.”

“The patient, family and medical doctor should be made aware of this potential gap in diagnosis,” Lazzaro, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “It is important to raise awareness of potential issues in making the diagnosis of bladder or kidney cancer in colorblind individuals.”

“My guess is that many doctors may not be looking closely enough at the medical record to pick up on this eye problem, leading to delays in diagnosis as the patient may not be able to see the issue,” he added.

While the issue may not be completely avoidable, Lazzaro suggested that it could be prevented if colorblind patients are aware of the risk and inform their doctors of their vision limitation.

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Dr. Don Railsback, optometrist and CEO of Vision Care Direct in Kansas, agreed that people with known CVD and their clinicians should “pay close attention.”

“This is the kind of small detail in a medical history that can change how we counsel patients on the symptoms they should never ignore,” he told Fox News Digital.

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“The takeaway is simple: Don’t rely on color alone to detect a problem. Bladder cancer can present as painless bleeding, and if you ever suspect blood in your urine, you should alert your doctor.”

Railsback, who was not part of the research, added that if the color of urine looks “off” — for example, is tea-colored or unusually dark — the patient should be checked “promptly.”

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“This study is a strong reminder to tailor health guidance to real-world differences and variations, including color vision,” he said.

For colorblind individuals, Railsback recommends asking their primary care physician for a urine test at annual visits. If something seems unusual, they should ask a spouse or partner.

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“Colorblindness doesn’t cause bladder cancer, but it may make the earliest warning sign easier to miss,” he said. “The fix is awareness and simple testing, not fear.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the study authors for comment.