Goji supplements and blood fats in adults
What it found
In adults, goji supplements lowered triglycerides and raised HDL cholesterol, but made no clear difference to total or LDL cholesterol.
The evidence comes from 5 randomised trials with 259 people.
What they found
Studies in people
Triglycerides lowered
Goji supplementation significantly lowered triglyceride levels. The authors say the effect was greater when goji fruit was taken as part of a healthy diet.
HDL cholesterol raised
Goji supplementation significantly raised HDL cholesterol, the so-called good cholesterol. The effect was greater with goji fruit than with extracts.
Total cholesterol unchanged
There was no statistically significant reduction in total cholesterol. The result was not consistent across the included studies.
LDL cholesterol unchanged
Goji supplementation did not significantly lower LDL cholesterol. The studies varied widely in their results.
Results not robust
When the authors removed single studies one at a time, the effects on triglycerides and HDL cholesterol changed. This suggests the findings are not statistically robust.
What the authors conclude
- They state that further high-quality studies are still needed to confirm their findings.
How it was done
Goji is widely used as a food and medicine, and the authors wanted to see whether the human trial evidence supports its use for managing blood fats. Earlier reviews had given inconsistent results.
They pooled 5 randomised controlled trials with 259 adults, published between 2009 and 2021. Participants took goji in different forms (dried fruit with a healthy diet, fruit juice, or capsules) for 4 to 16 weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- The review pooled only 5 small trials with 259 people, so the results may not apply to everyone.
- Most trials were done in China, with a few in Singapore and Brazil, so the findings may not generalise to other regions.
- The authors note that the current findings are not statistically robust because removing single studies changed the results.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
- Authors work at
- Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, PR China; The Affiliated Hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, PR China; the Affiliated Hospital to Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, PR China
The paper
- Title
- L. barbarum (Lycium barbarum L.) supplementation for lipid profiles in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Zeng X, Zhao W, Wang S, Xiong H, Wu J, Ren J (2023). L. barbarum (Lycium barbarum L.) supplementation for lipid profiles in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Medicine. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000034952Free full textPubMed 37773857DOI
Summary written 29 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error