A diet high in leafy greens like lettuce could prevent blindness in later life a study suggests.
People who ate at least 240mg of nitrate – which is found in vegetables like spinach – were 30 per cent less likely to develop glaucoma.
People would need to eat just two cupfuls of lettuce each day to achieve the same result.
It is thought that leafy vegetables improve blood circulation to the optic nerve which is impaired in people with the glaucoma.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham, and Women’s Hospital in Boston, looked at records of more than 100,000 middle aged people over 30 years looking at the diets.
Around 500,000 people suffer from glaucoma in Britain but the new research suggests that thousands of cases could be prevented if people upped their intake of leafy greens.
"These results, if confirmed in observational and intervention studies, could have important public health implications," said lead author Dr Jae Kang.
Glaucoma can develop slowly over a number of years causing gradual loss of vision from the periphery and typically causes sensitivity to light.
Does gum stay in your stomach for 7 years? 10 food myths busted
It develops so slowly that often people do not notice their peripheral vision is failing. The area of vision becomes narrower as the disease progresses.
Chronic open-angle glaucoma affects up to two in every 100 people over 40 years old and around five in every 100 people over 80 years old.
It is caused by a blockage in the eye preventing fluid from draining away and causing increased pressure.
However researchers found that greater intake of dietary nitrate and green leafy vegetables was associated with a 20 percent to 30 percent lower risk from regular glaucoma and up to 50 per cent for glaucoma with central vision loss.
Nitrate is a chemical that can react to a number of different substances in a range of ways. For example, it can be used as a fertiliser or as the active ingredient in a bomb.
Some nitrates are used as medication for angina, as they dilate the blood vessels.
A study in 2014 showed that a diet high in leafy vegetables is also good for heart health. The NHS recommends leafy greens as part of a balanced diet.
The research was published online by JAMA Ophthalmology.
Source
------------------------- *Leave a comments, questions or even a suggestions below this post. Your expressions are always welcomed.
0 comments:
Post a Comment