A University of California Davis study published in Nutrients has found that regularly eating a small serving of dried goji berries may help prevent or delay the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The randomised study showed a small regular intake of dried Goji berries (28g, five times a week) increased the density of protective pigments lutein and zeaxanthin in participants’ eyes over 90 days, said lead author Xiang Li, a doctoral candidate in UC Davis’ nutritional biology programme. In contrast, 14 study control participants who consumed a commercial supplement for eye health over the same period did not show any increase in those pigments.

Lutein and zeaxanthin both help to protect the eyes during ageing, providing antioxidant protection and filtering out harmful blue light, said Li. “They 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.”