Insights & Discussion
Regular intake of goji berries can increase Macular Pigment Optical Density, potentially helping to prevent or delay the development of age-related macular degeneration.
The research was a randomized, parallel-arm study involving 27 participants aged between 45 and 65. These participants were divided into two groups; one group consumed 28 grams of goji berries five times weekly for 90 days, while the other consumed a supplement containing 6mg of lutein and 4mg of zeaxanthin in the same frequency and duration. This method intended to evaluate the effects of zeaxanthin-rich goji berry intake on Macular Pigment Optical Density and skin carotenoids, both key in AMD risk assessment, while also drawing a comparison to the effects of lutein and zeaxanthin supplements.
As the study progressed to its end, the group consuming goji berries showed a significant increase in Macular Pigment Optical Density and skin carotenoids, key biomarkers in assessing the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration. The lutein and zeaxanthin supplement group, however, did not present any noteworthy changes. This suggests the potential superiority of goji berries in the prevention or delay of AMD development compared to the given supplement.
Discover Related Insights
Goji berry supplementation can improve macular pigment and visual acuity in patients with early age-related macular degeneration by increasing serum zeaxanthin levels.
2018 International Journal of Ophthalmology Macular pigment and serum zeaxanthin levels with Goji berry supplement in early age-related macular degeneration Shang Li, Na Liu, Li Lin, et al.
Randomised Controlled Trial Age-Related Macular Degeneration Goji Berry Zeaxanthin
In this prospective, randomized controlled study, 114 patients, aged 51 to 92 and with early age-related macular degeneration, were divided into two groups. One group was given a daily supplementation of 25 grams of Goji berries for 90 days while the control group continued with their normal diet. The study used Heterochromatic Flicker Photometry to measure the Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD) and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography to analyze the levels of serum lutein and zeaxanthin. These were recorded at the beginning and at the end of the study.
In the Goji berry group, by the end of the study, there was no significant change in serum lutein levels. However, there was an increase in serum zeaxanthin levels which coincided with the group's improvement in MPOD. In comparison to the control group, the Goji group had higher zeaxanthin levels and MPOD. The visual acuity of the Goji berry group also showed a relative decrease compared to the baseline. These results suggest Goji berry supplementation can beneficially impact early age-related macular degeneration patients by boosting serum zeaxanthin levels, thus raising MPOD and improving visual acuity.