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A Biochemist's View of the Benefits of Goji Berries
The Amazing Antioxidants in Certain Juices
A list of the many benefits of goji berries would include the fact that they can serve as a rich source of antioxidants. In order to appreciate how that fact underscores the benefits of goji berries one need only read some of the most recent literature about the juice of a different fruit the juice of the pomegranate.
In the Bible the pomegranate is referred to as "gift from God." Perhaps the sacred Tibetan writings make similar allusions to the benefits of goji berries. In the 21st Century, the public focuses less on sacred writings and more on medical information. Such information shows that berries and fruits high in antioxidants help the body to fight-off cancers. That fact suggests that both the benefits of goji berries and the benefits of pomegranate juice include their ability to prevent formation of malignant tumors.
But before doctors can speak more knowledgably about the benefits of goji berries they need information from lab research and clinical tests. The medical community would need to conduct experiments along the line of those reported in the Los Angeles Times on August 8, 2005. According to that report, the researchers had found through the use of animal experiments that pomegranate juice appeared to be a way to prevent prostate cancer.
Perhaps those researchers will now move on from a study of pomegranate juice to a study of the benefits of goji berries. Following the completion of lab studies, the medical community could then start to examine results from clinical tests with goji berries. Of course, the expectations surrounding such tests would need to recognize one fact - that is the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements are not normally tested as thoroughly as recognized medications.
For that reason, the accumulating information on the benefits of goji berries still leaves many questions unanswered. What amount of berries should one eat in order to ingest a significant amount of antioxidants? Could ingestion of that many berries introduce yet a different medical problem? For example, what if a person found that he or she was allergic to goji berries?
Until such questions have been answered to the satisfaction of the medical community, health professionals are apt to shy away from advising patients to use goji berries. Still, the information on the internet provides the public with ready access to the most recent facts that relate to the benefits of goji berries.
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