Eating leafy greens could help prevent macular degeneration
The consumption of vegetable nitrates, found mainly in green leafy vegetables and beetroot, could help reduce the risk of developing early-stage, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
The consumption of vegetable nitrates, found mainly in green leafy vegetables and beetroot, could help reduce the risk of developing early-stage, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a new study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
In the study, researchers at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research interviewed more than 2,000 Australian adults over the age of 49 and followed them over a 15-year period. The research showed that people who ate between 100 and 142 mg of vegetable nitrates each day had a 35% lower risk of developing early AMD than people who ate fewer than 69 mg.
The research compiled data from the Blue Mountains Eye Study, a benchmark population-based study that started in 1992. It is one of the world's largest epidemiology studies, measuring diet and lifestyle factors against health outcomes and a range of chronic diseases.
The link between vegetable nitrates and macular degeneration could have important implications, said lead researcher Bamini Gopinath, who noted that the study is the first to measure the effects of dietary nitrates on macular degeneration risk. “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.”