Popeye was right – not only does spinach make your muscles more efficient it also makes them stronger too.

Research has discovered that the nitrates found in the vegetable boost the production of the proteins in the muscles, making them stronger and more efficient.

The researchers, from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, said the equivalent amount of nitrate given to the mice in the experiment each day can be found in a small bag of spinach…The same level could also be obtained from two to three beetroots…

Researcher Andres Hernandez told the Daily Mail…his team hopes to use the findings to pursue new treatments for people with weak or ageing muscles…”The really exciting part is to go ahead and look at people with muscle weakness, with muscle diseases, and even ageing, and see if this can improve their muscle function…”

Now what will we learn from Olive Oyl?