8 things you didn't know were ageing you

What's ageing your... eyesight?

Too much red meat

That's the finding of new research from Dr Elaine Chong of the Centre for Eye Research at the University of Melbourne. She found that people who ate red meat (beef, lamb and processed meats such as salami) more than 10 times a week were 47 per cent more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of blindness in old age, than those who had it five times a week. Exactly why isn't known, but it might be down to compounds called nitrosamines, which form when red meat is eaten. It's thought these could be toxic to your retina.

Halt the decline Swap red meat for fish or chicken. Dr Chong's trial found that people who ate chicken three times a week lowered their AMD risk by 57 per cent. Other research has shown that one portion of oily fish a week also cuts your risk by half.

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