Preserving eyesight is an important issue as we age. Do you know this fruit that can preserve your eyesight? It has benefits you’d never suspect…
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment in the elderly and the 3rd leading cause of blindness worldwide.
To protect the eyes, the body has a defense system involving pigments that prevent blue light from reaching the eyes. As we age, this defense becomes less and less effective.
However, a red fruit in particular would help maintain the effectiveness of this defense by providing these protective pigments. A study conducted by researchers at the University of California in 2021 aims to prove its effectiveness! Let’s find out!
A magical red fruit
American scientists studied 27 people aged between 45 and 65 for 90 days. Of these, 13 consumed goji berries 5 times a week, with the average proportion a handshake. The other 14 consumed a commercial supplement with eye health benefits.
The experts then compared the results of these 2 groups, analyzing the extent to which the density of protective pigments had, or had not, increased.
Results? People using goji berries showed a clear improvement in the levels of AMD-protective pigments, while the second group showed no increase.
« Protective pigments are like sunscreen for your eyes, » said the study’s lead author, Xiang Li.
She adds, « The higher they are in your retina, the more protection you get. Our study found that even in healthy, normal eyes, these optical pigments can be increased with a small daily serving of goji berries. »
A study to be completed
These red fruits may therefore « enhance the protective pigments of healthy participants beyond the intake of high-dose nutritional supplements, » explains study co-author Glenn Yiu.
The University of California researchers explain that the next step will be to examine goji berries in patients with early-stage AMD.
The results of this initial study are therefore promising, but need to be completed and studied on larger population samples.
As a reminder, only 27 people were studied, too few to draw definitive conclusions about the benefits of goji berries in protecting your eyes.