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# Goji berry or wolfberry helps fight influenza
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/goji_berry_or_wolfberry_helps_fight_influenza_0517140146/
- Published: 2014-05-17T14:45:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:10:13.000Z
- Description: In aged mice, adding 5 percent goji berry to the diet alongside flu vaccination produced higher influenza antibody titers and less post-infection weight loss than vaccine alone. The Journal of Nutrition authors suggest wolfberry may improve vaccine efficacy in older people.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Supplements, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Saturday May 17, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study in the Feb 2014 issue of Journal of Nutrition suggests that taking dietary wolfberry (goji berry) supplements enhances the protective effect of flu vaccine against influenza viruses.

The study was conducted in aged mice. Like men, aged mice are more susceptible to flu infection due to deteriorated immunity against viral infections. The study shows that mice treated with both flu vaccine and goji berry supplements "higher influenza antibody titers and improved symptoms," compared with mice treated with only flu vaccine. This suggests that taking wolfberry supplements may also help older people fight influenza.

Influenza vaccines currently available do not fully protect the older people against influenza infection. Goji berry has been found to improve immune response against influenza infection. The current study explains why wolfberry supplements help fight influenza in vaccinated elderly people.

For the trial led by led by X. Du and colleagues, aged male mice were fed a control diet or the same diet supplemented with 5% goji berry for 30 days and then received flu vaccine or saline on days 31 and 52 of the dietary supplementation and then challenged with an influenza virus.

Mice received both flu vaccine and wolfberry supplements had higher influenza antibody titers and less post infection weight loss, compared with mice receiving only flu vaccine.

The study also reveals that goji berry supplementation promoted maturation and activity of antigen-presenting dendritic cells in aged mice.

Additionally, wolfberry supplementation boosted "antigen-specific T cell proliferation as well as interleukin-4 and interferon-γ production in CD4(+) T cells."

The researchers concluded "The our data indicate dietary wolfberry enhances the efficacy of influenza vaccination, resulting in better host protection to prevent subsequent influenza infection."

It is unknown what role the flu vaccine plays in the trial. It is known whether using goji berry supplements would be effective enough in fighting influenza infections.

Goji berry benefits include more than antiflu activity. Prior research has revealed that a wolfberry polysaccharide protein complex can support the immune system and inhibit some cancers, neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, senescence mechanisms, and retinal damage induced by ischemia.

Also published animal studies reported biological effects of goji berry against cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases and vision-related diseases like age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. (david Liu)

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