TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Eat more spinach, beetroot to maintain eye health, study suggests

The study’s findings showed that people who ate between 100 to 142 milligrams of vegetable nitrates per day had a 35 percent lower risk of developing macular degeneration at early ages.

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sun, October 28, 2018 Published on Oct. 24, 2018 Published on 2018-10-24T14:48:09+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
The results of the research did not include any additional benefits or drawbacks for people who consumed more than 142 milligrams of dietary nitrate per day. The results of the research did not include any additional benefits or drawbacks for people who consumed more than 142 milligrams of dietary nitrate per day. (Shutterstock/File)

V

egetables rich in nitrate, such as spinach (which has about 20 milligrams of nitrate per 100 grams) and beetroot (which has about 15 mg of nitrate per 100 g), could prevent macular degeneration, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The study’s findings showed that people who ate between 100 to 142 mg of vegetable nitrates per day had a 35 percent lower risk of developing macular degeneration at early ages, when compared to people to ate less than 69 mg of vegetable nitrates per day.

Largely affecting those over 50 years old, macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss around the globe.

“This is the first time the effects of dietary nitrates on macular degeneration risk have been measured,” said Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Australia, and lead researcher of the study Bamini Gopinath. “If our findings are confirmed, incorporating a range of foods rich in dietary nitrates such as green leafy vegetables and beetroot could be a simple strategy to reduce the risk of early macular degeneration.”

Read also: Jakpost guide to vegetarian restaurants

More than 2,000 Australian adults over the age of 49 were interviewed for the study and were monitored over a 15-year period.

The results of the research did not include any additional benefits or drawbacks for people who consumed more than 142 mg of dietary nitrate per day. An article covering the same study published by NDTV also cautioned that the study had been observational and did not establish any causal relationship between diet and onset of disease. (acr/kes)

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.