Photo by McClatchy Newspapers In the health-food industry, many are trumpeting the Chinese wolfberry, more commonly known as the goji berry, as the next great "super food" -- a fruit laden with so many antioxidants that it makes other fruits and vegetables seem puny by comparison. The berry, say marketers, is an anti-aging miracle food, regularly consumed by Chinese centenarians.

Indeed, this dried Chinese berry resembles a weak cousin to the cranberry.

Yet in the health-food industry, many are trumpeting the Chinese wolfberry, more commonly known as the goji berry, as the next great "super food" -- a fruit laden with so many antioxidants that it makes other fruits and vegetables seem puny by comparison. The berry, say marketers, is an anti-aging miracle food, regularly consumed by Chinese centenarians.

Already the goji is earning a prominent place at health-food stores. It's showing up in juices, sodas and energy bars. A Los Angeles dermatologist is using crushed goji berries in facial treatments and advising patients to eat them, as well. At upscale California spa restaurants, the goji berry is being added to granola, trail mixes and salads.

It's even getting big billing by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the author of "YOU: The Owner's Manual." On "The Oprah Winfrey Show," he recently billed the goji berry as "the most potent antioxidant fruit that we know."

But how much of that is hype and hopefulness? And how much is supported by science?

The berries, grown in Tibet and China, have been available in U.S. markets for several years but are now receiving a Hollywood-like billing.

"We started carrying the berries back in 2005, but we started seeing gojis being used in juices and beverages in the last year and a half," says Mary Ann O'Dell, a registered dietitian with Chamberlin's Natural Foods, an Orlando chain of health-food stores.

"I think demand for it is building," O'Dell says. "We saw what happened with pomegranates -- how they became popular and began showing up everywhere -- well, that trend is happening with all these super fruits, goji and mangosteen and pomegranates."

Now the goji berry seems to be picking up steam among mainstream food makers. Earlier this year, Anheuser-Busch launched 180 Red with Goji -- a new energy drink featuring the berry. Expect to see the goji berry soon in granola bars and trail mixes.

Despite the berry's marketing blitz, the scientific research on the goji berry is still in its infancy.

"There is limited data on the wolfberry," said Mark Failla, chairman of the Human Nutrition Department at Ohio State University, who is studying the goji.

Based on early research on the berry, Failla says it's clear that gojis contain extremely high levels of zeaxanthin, a carotenoid that is related to beta carotene.

That may elevate the goji berry's importance in coming years, as aging baby boomers try to stave off macular degeneration. Studies of people with macular degeneration have shown they have lower levels of zeaxanthin and lutein in their eye tissue. Another study found that people who have low intake of fruits and vegetables may be more prone to macular degeneration. Still, Failla cautions that there has been no proof that a lack of zeaxanthin causes macular degeneration.

"In traditional Chinese medicine, zeaxanthin has been used to treat ocular disorders," says Failla, who suspects the Chinese doctors were right. "Long before the Lord made biochemists, Chinese doctors have been using this."

So while the berry may be great for people worried about their eyesight, there's no proof -- at least among the Western scientific community -- that the goji berry can do all the things that marketers claim: help you live till age 100, relieve insomnia, cure liver damage, regulate blood sugar and prevent hypertension. In the past year, the FDA has cracked down on Internet goji sellers for making claims that can't be supported by scientific evidence.

"Everybody thinks they have the magic bullet, and they'll live forever," says Failla.

And though goji berries may not be a cure-all, Failla sees nothing wrong with eating the berries or drinking goji juice.

"As nutrition scientists, we support food-based approaches to health," he says. "It is a fruit; it likely has numerous health-promoting compounds. Overall, I'd rather see people eating wolfberries than taking a pill containing zeaxanthin."