New Study Suggests That Dried Goji Berries Can Protect Your Eyes From Macular Degeneration

The following report is from Study Finds:

Just one ounce of dried goji berries a day can help prevent or at least delay the onset of age-related vision problems, a new study reveals. Researchers from the University of California-Davis found that eating the fruit improves the health of the eyes, protecting against macular degeneration.

AMD affects your central field of vision and can affect your ability to read or recognize faces.

Says study co-author Glenn Yiu in a university release.

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss among older adults. The condition affects the eyesight of more than 11 million Americans and around 170 million people worldwide.

The new study finds middle-aged adults between 45 and 65 who ate 28 grams (a handful or around one ounce) of dried goji berries five times a week saw an increase in the density of protective pigments in their eyes. The 13 healthy participants ate the fruit for 90 days during the experiment.

Conversely, a control group of 14 adults taking commercial supplements for eye health did not see any increase in the density of these important pigments.

Specifically, study authors say goji berry consumption increased the density of two pigments, lutein and zeaxanthin. They filter out harmful blue light and also provide antioxidant protection, two things vital to aging eyes.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are like sunscreen for your eyes. The higher the lutein and zeaxanthin in your retina, the more protection you have. Our study found that even in normal healthy eyes, these optical pigments can be increased with a small daily serving of goji berries.

Adds lead author Xiang Li, a doctoral candidate in the Nutritional Biology Program.

What Are Goji Berries?

These berries come from the Lycium chinense and Lycium barbarum plants of northwest China. They’re a common ingredient in Chinese soups and teas. Many people even treat them like raisins, eating the dried fruit as a snack.

In Chinese medicine, researchers say goji berries have a reputation for having “eye brightening” qualities.

Many types of eye diseases exist, so it is not clear which disease ‘eye brightening’ is targeting.

Says Li

In their review of goji berries, the team found the fruit contains high levels of both lutein and zeaxanthin. The form of zeaxanthin in the berries is also highly bioavailable, meaning the digestive system can easily absorb this substance into the body.

Better Than Current Eye Treatments

Macular degeneration stems from many issues, including age, genetics, environmental factors like too much sun exposure, and lifestyle habits such as smoking and poor diet. The early stages of the disease have few symptoms, but doctors are capable of catching it through extensive tests.

Current treatments include special dietary supplements, AREDS, which contain vitamins C, E, zinc, copper, lutein, and zeaxanthin. However, the new study reveals this simple and highly available fruit may do more for your eyes than high-priced supplements.

Our study shows goji berries, which are a natural food source, can improve macular pigments of healthy participants beyond taking high-dose nutritional supplements. The next step for our research will be to examine goji berries in patients with early-stage AMD.”

Yiu concludes

The study is published in the journal Nutrients.

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AUTHOR COMMENTARY

[14] He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; [15] And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart. [16] The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;

Psalms 104:14-16

While I think that the size of people used is rather quite small, goji berries are something that have been known to improve eye health. Goji berries are high in Vitamin A, which has been documented to be a key factor in eyesight.

Vitamin A is not a single compound but a group of chemical compounds that are structurally similar. These compounds include retinol, retinaldehyde, retinoic acid, and provitamin A caretenoids which include beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, gamma-carotene and cryptoxanthin. Retinol and beta-carotene are some of the most common forms of vitamin A found in food and supplements, with the former being found in animals and the latter in plants.

Vitamin A is involved in the modulation of skin health, vision, the immune system, and gene transcription. Different forms of vitamin A will serve different functions. For example, it is retinoic acid that is involved in gene transcription and the maintenance of skin health; it is retinaldehyde that binds certain proteins to the cones and rods of the eye, allowing the eye to function in low-light environments.

From Examine.com

Howbeit, what that this study and above description does not say is that the plant-based versions of vitamin A are not as easily absorbed: the plant version is converted into active vitamin A by the body. The problem is, if your body is not in the greatest of health, your body will have more difficult time making the conversion.

Moreover, if you ever look at vegans who follow their diets over the course of just a few years, one of the key signs of their malnutrition is rapid aging, wrinkly skin, weak hair, and eyesight that is all over the map. I recommend nutrient-dense animal meats and fats to get better sources of vitamin A. I am not against goji berries and other highly dense vitamin A plant foods (carrots, avocados, etc.), but there are many other factors to consider.

Regardless, I like goji berries: they taste great, and I will have them every once in a while. The problem is the price tag. They are imported from China, and going organic (which is a necessity basically), so getting an actual decent size amount to snack on can add up. It’s more of a luxury snack for me personally.

Moreover, goji berries have other benefits as well, such as increased fertility (giving it one of the names called the “wolfberry”), cleansing the liver, may fight cancer, antioxidation, and more.

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[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).

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