Table 1.
Human studies on the effects of consumption of goji berries (directly or in supplements) on eye health
| Reference | Sample | Intervention | Frequency and duration | Outcome measures | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucheli et al. (2011)121 | 150 healthy seniors (aged 65–70 y) | 13.7 g/d of a milk-based formulation with 10 mg Z and 68.5 mg vitamin C derived from goji berry OR placebo | Daily for 90 d | Funduscopic exams | The placebo group showed increased hypopigmentation and soft drusen accumulation in the macula, while the treatment group remained stable |
| Chan et al. (2019)126 | 42 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (aged 26–69 y) | Goji berry OR placebo granules | Daily for 12 mo | Visual acuity, Ganzfeld full-field electroretinogram, Humphrey Visual Field Analysis, and Spectral-domain Optical Coherent Tomography | The treatment group maintained contrast visual acuity and macular thickness, while the placebo group showed a decline in all measures |
| Kan et al. (2020)123 | 303 healthy individuals with dry eye symptoms (aged 18–65 y) | Three treatment arms giving chewable tablets with the highest L of 14 mg, Z of 2.8 mg, goji berry extract of 175 mg, chrysanthemum extract of 175 mg, and blackcurrant extract of 233 mg, OR placebo | Daily for 90 d | Eye fatigue symptom score, MPOD, Schirmer test, optical coherence tomography, and keratography | The treatment groups showed significantly reduced eye soreness, blurred vision, dry eye, foreign body sensation, and tearing; improved tear secretion and increased first tear break-up time, average tear break-up time, tear meniscus height, and MPOD, compared with the placebo group |
| Li et al. (2018)124 | 114 patients with early AMD (aged 51–92 y) | 25 g/d of dried goji berry OR habitual diet | Daily for 90 d | MPOD, serum L + Z, BCVA | Increased serum Z and MPOD in the goji berry group compared with their baseline levels or with those of the control group |
| Li et al. (2021)125 | 27 healthy individuals (aged 45–65 y) | 28 g/d of dried goji berry OR supplement with 6 mg L and 4 mg Z | Five times a week for 90 d | MPOD, skin carotenoids | Increased MPOD and skin carotenoid score in the goji berry group compared with no significant changes in the supplement group |
| Peng et al. (2016)122 | 56 patients with early AMD (aged 35–50 y) | 60 mL/d of beverage containing 12 mg of L from marigold flower and 2 mg of Z from goji berry | Daily for 5 mo | Serum L and Z, plasma oxidative indices, antioxidant enzymes in erythrocytes, anti-inflammatory markers, BCVA, intraocular pressure, photostress recovery, ocular comfort index, MPOD | The treatment group showed significantly increased serum L and Z, antioxidant capacity, antioxidant enzymes, ocular comfort index, and MPOD; and decreased oxidative stress index, inflammatory markers, BCVA, and interocular pressure compared with baseline values |
Abbreviations: AMD, age-related macular degeneration; BCVA, best-corrected visual acuity; L, lutein; MPOD, macular pigment optical density; Z, zeaxanthin.