It turns out that your mother was right – about many things – but particularly about the importance of eating your vegetables.
There have been many articles in recent years about the importance of multiple servings of vegetables in reducing the risk of a number of diseases. Green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, celery and beetroot are particularly rich in nitrate and it is believed that dietary nitrate is one of the key elements in disease prevention.
A new study published online in JAMA Opthalmology has also found a 20-30% reduction in the risk of primary open-angle glaucoma in individuals with a greater intake of green leafy vegetables (dietary nitrate).
So while your mother may have said your vision would be better if you “eat your carrots,” the risk of glaucoma can be reduced substantially if you “eat your spinach” or drink beet juice.
Elevated intraocular pressure and impaired optic nerve blood flow that occur with glaucoma and that causes optic nerve damage which gets progressively worse over time. The research suggests that the dietary nitrate present in leafy green vegetables like spinach is beneficial for blood circulation.
Early diagnosis of glaucoma helps slow the progression of the disease. So, be sure to see your ophthalmologist every year and eat green leafy vegetables every day!