Spinach, which in the cartoon movie to make a sailor Popeye strong, may also help prevent one of the causes of blindness.

A team at Manchester University believe that eating spinach can protect the eyes from the eye disease AMD (age-related macular degeneration) or damage to the makula that appear in old age. Their theory based on the fact that spinach, and some other vegetables, contain lutein, anti-oxidants, which protect the eyes with pigment produces substances. The team from Manchester is planning to examine and test their theory further. AMD is the main reason for the blindness in the United States and European countries, and suspected to suffer by 12% men and 29% of women above the age of 75 years in Britain. AMD is a major cause of vision loss of ability, which often occurs in people above the age of 50 years. The disease causes damage to the makula, a small section in the middle of Retina, which is set with a sharp eye to see. Scientists can not yet know why some people are susceptible to this condition, but they know that AMD associated with smoking habits, obesity, eating patterns and the ugly. In addition to the spinach, lutein can also be found on sweet corn, broccoli and kale leaves. Lutein with zeaxanthin solids, oily layer formed yellow, a pigment called makula, suspected makula protect from disease AMD. The team at Manchester University is launching a study on AMD to examine whether the damage in the early vision associated with the level of pigment makula low. The main researcher Dr Ian Murray said: "The research we found strong evidence that the pigment makula provide protection from AMD, but we want to make sure that eating vegetables rich in oxygen-substances that can prevent the disease. Makula Because the pigment formed by the absorbed from food we, we estimate that eating vegetables contain many elements that will increase the amount of pigment makula and therefore help to impede the process of damage due to age.