Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

Goji berries are traditionally used in Asia to fight cancer and aging.

Alzheimer's disease may be associated with high levels of homocysteine, an amino acid thought to damage arteries.

Goji berries have B vitamins that may help to break down homocysteine. Y. S. Ho and colleagues, at the University of Hong Kong, also found that carbohydrates in wolfberries can help protect nerve cells and brain function against homocysteine-induced damage, which could lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

The study was published in 2010 in the "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease."

Goji berry stops skin cancer - Sydney University study

By Tamara McLean From: The Daily Telegraph
Prevention hope ... Tiny goji berries have prevented skin cancer in mice, Sydney University researchers found.

A TINY red berry celebrated for its antioxidant qualities may also help protect against skin damage that leads to cancer, researchers believe.

Scientists at the University of Sydney fed diluted juice from the goji berry to mice in the laboratory and found it protected them against the same sun damage as other mice when exposed to harsh UV rays.

Another experiment showed skin cancer advanced slower in mice that had drunk goji juice.

Cancer specialists have cautioned that while the berry, strong in antioxidant properties, appears to act like a sunscreen in mice, it is untested on humans.

Goji juice has been the subject of bad press in recent years after tests by the Australian Consumer Association showed it was no more beneficial to health than standard fruit juices.

Dr Vivienne Reeve, from the university's Faculty of Veterinary Science, told a medical research conference in Brisbane on Monday that she fed mice either water or diluted juice and then exposed them to UV radiation to give them sunburn.

"The goji berry-drinking mice had significantly less inflammation of the skin," said Dr Reeve, who is a scientific adviser to a company that distributes the juice.

"And the juice seemed to protect the immune system because they didn't get immuno-suppression which is a major risk factor for skin cancer development in chronically over-exposed skin."

It also appeared to have protective properties against skin cancer growth, she said, with another experiment showing skin cancer-induced mice had significantly slower growing tumours.

"We haven't tested it on humans but this gives us every indication that we should if we want to help protect people from sun damage and disease," she said.

Cancer Council Australia chief executive Professor Ian Olver said the research was interesting but should be viewed with caution.

"Just because it works like sunscreen in mice does not mean it will do the same in humans as the two types of skin are very different," Prof Olver said.