Spinach May Protect Against Age-Related Visual Impairment, Study Calls For Volunteers

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a visual impairment common among the elderly in which the center of the field of vision appears as a black spot (see image here). It affects approximately 15 million Americans and in the UK, about 12% of men and 29% of women over the age of 75 suffer from this partial blindness. Aside from age and genetics, one of the main factors thought to influence the risk of developing AMD is the diet. According to an article in the ScienceDaily:

Spinach and some other vegetables like sweetcorn, kale and broccoli are rich in a chemical called lutein, which, together with another carotenoid, zeaxanthin, form an oily, yellow substance at a central point of the retina known as the macula. This yellow oil, called macular pigment, is thought to protect the macula from age-related macular degeneration or AMD [snip].

This macula pigment is wholly derived from the diet, either from eating food rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, or taking such compounds as dietary supplements.

A study will be conducted in the UK to find out whether a spinach-rich diet can indeed improve vision in AMD patients. If you live in the Manchester area and have been diagnosed with the early stages of age-related macular degeneration (and have no aversion to spinach, of course), you may want to take part in the study. See the ARMD website for further details of the study on spinach and the ageing eye.