Goji berries: health effects, safety and food uses
What it found
In people, goji berries and their extracts have been linked to better blood fats, eye markers and antioxidant measures, but results vary between studies.
The authors also flag allergic reactions and possible drug interactions.
What they found
Studies in people
Heart and metabolic markers
In people, goji berry or its extracts have been linked to lower waist circumference, improved blood fats and better glucose control. A meta-analysis of 548 subjects found only a favourable effect on glucose control and a marginal reduction in total cholesterol and triglycerides, with no benefit to body weight or blood pressure.
Eyes and zeaxanthin
Dried goji berry (15 g/day, about 3 mg zeaxanthin) raised plasma zeaxanthin 2.5-fold in people. In other human studies, 90 days of goji berry increased macular pigment optical density, and 12 months of supplementation showed retinoprotective effects in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.
Antioxidant and immune effects
In people, 30 days of a commercial goji juice raised antioxidant enzyme activities, lowered an oxidative stress marker, and increased lymphocyte, IgG and IL-2 levels. A milk-based goji formulation for 90 days improved antioxidant capacity and immune measures in healthy elderly subjects.
Allergy and drug interactions
Goji berries can trigger allergic reactions in sensitive people, including two reported cases of anaphylaxis, with cross-reactivity to peach, tomato, tobacco, nuts and Artemisia pollen. There is also evidence that taking goji with the blood thinner warfarin might increase the risk of bleeding.
Animal and lab studies
Animal and lab findings
In mice, goji polysaccharides improved food conversion, reduced body weight and diminished insulin resistance, and affected gut bacteria. In lab tests, goji extracts showed antioxidant and antimicrobial effects, and black goji berries had stronger antioxidant properties than red ones.
Other findings
Food product uses
Goji berries have been added to drinks, meat, bakery, confectionery and milk products, raising their phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Sensory and texture properties generally depend on how much goji berry is added.
What the authors conclude
- They say the efficacy and safety of goji berry-based food products and nutraceuticals need to be proven through well-designed clinical trials.
- They advise that possible interactions of goji berry with conventional medications and natural health products need investigation in more detail.
- They note that consumption of highly concentrated goji products such as juice can potentially have an adverse effect and requires additional research.
How it was done
Goji berries have long been used in Asian countries for nutrition and medicine, and have become popular worldwide as a functional food. The authors wanted to review the evidence on their health effects, safety and use in food products.
The authors reviewed human intervention studies, animal and lab studies, and food product studies on goji berries. Human studies used doses from 6 to 30 g of dried whole goji berry, or juices and extracts, for periods from a single dose up to 12 months.
What it can’t tell you
- Many of the health findings come from small or short human studies, so they cannot show long-term effects.
- Animal and lab results cannot show what happens in people.
- The review cannot show whether goji berries cause any health effect, only what has been measured in the studies included.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Belgrade, Serbia
The paper
- Title
- Health Benefits and Applications of Goji Berries in Functional Food Products Development: A Review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Vidović BB, Milinčić DD, Marčetić MD, et al (2022). Health Benefits and Applications of Goji Berries in Functional Food Products Development: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland). doi:10.3390/antiox11020248Free full textPubMed 35204130DOI
Summary written 29 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error