Goji Berry in Tested by Choice

Choice recently put to test the claims made by many marketers about the health benefits of so called super fruits. The fruits tested included:

• goji berry
• acai berry
• noni
• mangosteen

They tested the fruit juices associated with these berries and this is what they had to say in general about these fruits:

So-called "superfruits" — goji, noni, mangosteen and açai — are rich sources of antioxidants, but some of the marketing hype exaggerates the benefits of their juices. There’s no good evidence that drinking them will cure diseases such as cancer or diabetes.

On a serve-by-serve basis, many common fruits such as strawberries and apples, contain more antioxidants, and are cheaper.

After their tests on the fruit juices, this was their verdict:

Superfruit juices contain a range of nutrients, but marketing spin has vastly exaggerated their health benefits. Until there’s much better scientific evidence, it’s cheaper and wiser to get antioxidants from other fruit (and veg) sources. A wide variety of types and colours of fruit and veg can help protect against diseases such as cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes — in part due to phytochemicals such as antioxidants, but also due to other nutrients they contain, including fibre.

So I guess that while, goji is high in antioxidants, important nutrients, and fibre, it should be included as part of a healthy, balanced diet which includes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.