UC Davis: Dried goji berries may prevent age-related vision loss

AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in older adults, and is estimated to affect more than 11 million people in the United States and 170 million globally

"AMD affects your central field of vision and affects your ability to read or recognize faces," said study co-author Glenn Yiu, an associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences

Researchers found that eating 28 grams (about 1 ounce or a handful) of goji berries five times a week for 90 days in 13 healthy participants between the ages of 45 and 65 increased the density of protective pigments in the eyes

Consume goji fruit, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are increased pigments that filter out harmful blue light and provide antioxidant protection

"Lutein and zeaxanthin are like sunscreen for your eyes," says lead author Xiang Li

"The higher the amount of lutein and zeaxanthin in the retina, the more protection you get

The research was published in the journal Nutrients

In China, wolfberry is used for eye health

Lycium barbarum is the fruit of Chinese wolfberry and wolfberry, two shrub-like shrubs that grow in northwest China

In traditional Chinese medicine, wolfberry is considered to have the effect of "seating the eyes"

"There are multiple eye diseases, so it's unclear which disease 'Bright Eye' is targeting," Li said

She studied the bioactive compounds in goji berries and found that they contain high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are thought to reduce the risk of AMD-related eye disease

Currently, the treatment of moderate AMD uses a special dietary supplement called AREDS, which contains vitamins C, E, zinc, copper, lutein and zeaxanthin

According to Professor Yiu, the etiology of AMD is complex and multifactorial, including genetic risk, age-related changes, and environmental factors such as smoking, diet, and sun exposure

Professor Yiu said: "Our study shows that wolfberry, a natural food source, can improve macular pigment in healthy participants, not just high doses of nutritional supplements

While the results are promising, the researchers note that the study was small and more research is needed

Xiang Li, Roberta R.