Eating spinach and beetroot regularly could help prevent the loss of vision
| Updated: Oct 24, 2018, 12:02 IST
As children, we're constantly taught the health benefits that come with eating vegetables, especially the likes of spinach and beetroot. However, today we have come across a study that states that vegetable nitrates, mostly found in leafy vegetables and beetroot, could help reduce your risk of developing early-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that leads to a loss of vision.
The study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. After conducting the research, the researchers concluded that people who ate between 100 to 142 mg of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35% lower risk of developing early AMD than people who ate less than 69mgs of vegetable nitrates each day. "This is the first time the effects of dietary nitrates on macular degeneration risk have been measured. Essentially we found that people who ate 100 to 142 mg of vegetable nitrates every day had a reduced risk of developing early signs of macular degeneration compared with people who ate fewer nitrates," said Gopinath, lead researcher of the study.
"If our findings are confirmed, incorporating a range of foods rich in dietary nitrates - like green leafy vegetables and beetroot - could be a simple strategy to reduce the risk of early macular degeneration," added Gopinath.
The study was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. After conducting the research, the researchers concluded that people who ate between 100 to 142 mg of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35% lower risk of developing early AMD than people who ate less than 69mgs of vegetable nitrates each day. "This is the first time the effects of dietary nitrates on macular degeneration risk have been measured. Essentially we found that people who ate 100 to 142 mg of vegetable nitrates every day had a reduced risk of developing early signs of macular degeneration compared with people who ate fewer nitrates," said Gopinath, lead researcher of the study.
"If our findings are confirmed, incorporating a range of foods rich in dietary nitrates - like green leafy vegetables and beetroot - could be a simple strategy to reduce the risk of early macular degeneration," added Gopinath.