Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables to prevent glaucoma

According to a study in the US, eating green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, and kale can reduce the risk of glaucoma by 30%.

According to Harvard Medical School researchers, a diet rich in sodium-rich vegetables is good for blood circulation, meaning it can prevent primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), one of four diseases. Glaucoma. This study looked at more than 104,000 patients and found that those with a diet rich in nitrates reduced the incidence of this disease. Increased pressure and disruption of blood flow to the optic nerve are associated with POAG. Previous studies have shown that nitrate or nitrite is beneficial for blood circulation, so scientists from Harvard Medical School have learned about the relationship between diet and POAG. Dietary nitrate is found in leafy vegetables, which contain about 80% of the nitrate intake.

Scientists say nitrate intake in the diet as a particular nutrient has never been evaluated. Thus, they conducted a prospective study on 63,893 women and 41,094 men. These findings may have important implications if the linkage of nitrate and green leafy diets intake through diet and POAG risk reduction is well established.

This study tracked participants over 40 years of age, were not subjected to POAG and had eye exam results. Dietary information is updated with a questionnaire. During the follow-up, there were 1,483 confirmed cases of POAG. They are divided into five groups depending on the amount of nitrate absorbed in the diet. The study found that more nitrate intake in diet and leafy vegetables was associated with a 20-30% reduction in POAG risk.