Scientists have named the vegetables, which protect eyesight.
Specialists Women’s hospital Brigham and Harvard medical school in Boston conducted an extensive investigation and proved that consumption of green leafy vegetables reduces the risk of blindness.
Observation of the participants of the experiment lasted for 25 years.
“We found that people who drink large quantities of green leafy vegetables, have a 20-30% lower risk of developing glaucoma,” said study leader, associate Professor of medicine, JI Kang.
Glaucoma is a widespread disease that causes nerve damage due to abnormally high pressure in eye and leads to vision loss. This condition can gradually lead to blindness.
Green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, spinach or broccoli that are rich in dietary nitrates, which can improve blood circulation in the eyes. To test this, was organized long study involving more than 100,000 men and women. By the end of the experiment, which lasted a quarter of a century, the volunteers were 40 years and older. At the initial stage, none of them had eye problems, and in subsequent years developed glaucoma in 1483. The disease rarely struck those who ate at least one and a half cups of green vegetables a day.
“An important factor that regulates blood flow to the optic nerve, is a substance called nitric oxide. When you consume large amounts of green leafy salads, a level of nitric oxide in the body increases,” said Kahn.
