Savoring spinach - Possible sight-saver?

The cartoon character Popeye loved his spinach and spinach may have been more than a muscle builder.

A recent study has found that eating leafy greens, such as spinach, which are high in nitrates, could help reduce your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.¬†Spinach, lettuce, cabbage and beetroot all examples of vegetables that are high in nitrates. More than 2,000 Australian adults over the age of 49 were interviewed¬† by researchers at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research and then followed over a 15-year period.¬†Researchers found that participants who ate between 100 to 142 mgs of vegetables every day had a 35% lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration compared to those who ate less than 69 mgs of vegetable nitrates daily. This is the first study that has shown a link between nitrate consumption and macular degeneration and researchers hope to confirm these findings and do encourage people to increase their consumption of leafy greens.*