Glaucoma to Benefit From Leafy Green Vegetables

Glaucoma isn’t just a running joke in stoner flicks, but it is in fact a very serious and sometimes debilitating issue that takes its toll on a very large portion of the American population. In their permanent search for cures, a team of scientists find glaucoma to benefit from leafy green vegetables.

• Nitrates are found in a variety of plants and vegetables
• They work wonders for your circulatory system
• They are mostly found in leafy green vegetables, but they can also be found in other healthy foods
• Glaucoma, on the other hand, is a very nasty affliction of the eye
• It is associated with a disruption and an increased pressure of the optic nerve

Putting these facts together, a team of scientists decided to figure out whether consuming a diet rich in these green and leafy vegetable could perhaps reduce the risk of developing glaucoma.

And after 32 years since the beginning of the research, the team gathered all the necessary information to confirm their theory; the discovered that the aforementioned leafy and green vegetables can reduce the chance of developing glaucoma by up to 30%.

Beginning in 1984 and ending in 2012, the study consisted of a very large sample of participants – 104,987 to be exact, all of them in their 40s at the start of the study.

Out of the 41,094 males and 63,893 females of which the study consisted, none of them showed signs at the beginning of the study signaling the onset of glaucoma.

For the entire duration of the study, the participants would have to answer to a questionnaire related to their dietary habits, particularly those related to nitrates, as well as partake in eye exam every two years.

Depending on their answers to the nitrate diet quiz, the participants were separated into 5 groups with similar dietary habits.

For the duration of the research, primary open angle glaucoma was developed by 1,483 participants. Primary open angle glaucoma, or POAG, is a progressive form of glaucoma that is the worldwide primary cause of irreversible blindness.

The results were better that the researchers initially anticipated, showing that a diet rich in leafy green vegetables can lead to a 30% lower chance of developing the debilitating affliction.

Recommendations from the team behind the study are to go check a doctor if you suspect any signs of incipient glaucoma, and of course, to eat lots of green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and lettuce.

Image source: Wikimedia