On average 15% of people over the age of 80 experience macular degeneration. Currently, there is not any cure, however, there are many things someone can do to reduce their risk including reducing oxidative stress.
This can be done through different lifestyle choices including to stop smoking and consuming more antioxidants.
The key is not every antioxidant is helpful for improving eye health. A key factor is that when we eat antioxidants we need to know if they can actually go through our blood stream and reach our eye tissue.
This clinical trial evaluated Goji Berry (Lycium barbarium) is a small red fruit popular in certain parts of Asia including China. 
The Goji berry is popular a choice for health benefits including vision and eye health, kidney and liver function.
A double blind randomized placebo controlled clinical trial evaluated Goji berry for improved eye health and was published in the Journal Optometry and Visual Sciences.
Here are the study details
Study design: single-center, double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
Participants: Healthy volunteers aged 65 to 70 years
Study agent: 90-day study period, each subject consumed 13.7 g of study product (LWB or placebo) per day in the form of freeze-dried powder mixed with 200 ml of soup or hot water at lunch under supervision of the research staff.
Goji product: The LWB product contained 0.73 mg/g (10 mg/d) goji berry-derived zeaxanthin and 5 mg/g (68.5 mg/d) goji berry-derived vitamin C precursor.
Evaluation: Subjects underwent detailed ophthalmic examinations before and after the 90-day supplementation period by a single experienced ophthalmologist
Read about more clinical trials with plant extracts for your health here.
Outcomes: Study endpoints included number of soft macular drusen, macula hypopigmentation, plasma zeaxanthin and antioxidant activity levels, and adverse events.
Here are the main results:
– Macula pigmentation (i.e. progression of disease) was stabilized with the Goji product in 65 patients. The placebo group saw an increase in disease progression in 13 of the 68 patients
– Drusen count (i.e. progression of disease) was stabilized with the Goji product in 65 patients. The placebo group saw an increase in drusen in 11 of the 68 patients
– Blood plasma levels increased with the Goji product by 26%
– No adverse events were observed related to the Goji product
Read about more clinical trials with plant extracts for your health here.
What is in the Goji Berry that is good for your eyes?
The goji berry is rich in a specific carotenoid called zeaxanthin. By eating goji berry blood levels of zeaxanthin increase and furthermore levels inside the eye will increase too.
Here are comments by the authors of the study
The results of this clinical study demonstrated that daily dietary LWB supplementation increases plasma zeaxanthin and total antioxidant levels as well as protects against macula hypopigmentation and accumulation of soft drusen in elderly subjects.
And
Daily dietary supplementation with LWB, a goji berry formulation, for 90 days increases plasma zeaxanthin and total antioxidant levels as well as protects from hypopigmentation and accumulation of soft drusen in the macula of elderly subjects.
Take away message
There is strong evidence linking macula hypopigmentation and soft drusen number with age related macular degeneration risk. Oxidative stress may play a role making the use of a product rich in zeaxanthin appealing. It should be emphasized there are more than 600 caroteinoids in nature. With that said there are likely other carotenoids that could be beneficial as well as other antixoidants in Goji that could be helpful.
Reference:
Optometry and Vision Science. 2011; Volume 88 (Issue 2): Pages 257-62.
His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.
Categories: Antioxidant, Clinical Trials, Eye
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