Sight for sore eyes: New study backs MaquiBright’s efficacy in alleviating eye dryness and fatigue

22 May 2019 --- Symptoms associated with dry eyes and eye fatigue were found to be alleviated through treatment with MaquiBright, a patented formulation of maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis) extract produced exclusively by Anklam Extrakt in Germany, incorporated into nutritional products by MNL Group and distributed in the US by Charles Bowman and Company. In the latest study, test subjects took a 60 mg capsule once a day for four weeks and those who had been prescribed MaquiBright and not the placebo were found to have alleviated eye dryness and showed promising results in relief from eye fatigue.

The study, titled “Effects of MaquiBright on Improving Eye Dryness and Fatigue in Humans: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial” is available online in The Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine.

Eye dryness and fatigue are linked to common lifestyle factors, such as high exposure to ambient dry air from air-conditioners or overheated rooms, long working hours at screens, as well as general oxidative stress and ageing. These factors are said to affect the functionality of tear-fluid generating lachrymal glands, which are remedied by the maqui berry extract. 

Founded in 2008, MNL Group is a Chilean company dedicated to the research and development of standardized natural extracts for applications within the animal health and nutrition industries. The company produces branded ingredients MaquiBright, Delphinol and MaquiMNL– each derived from maqui berries, superfruits with high antioxidant potential, and backed by clinical studies.

The recent study is sponsored by MNL Group and Anklam Extrakt and examines 74 participants diagnosed with eye dryness and eye fatigue, who are exposed to more than four hours of visual display terminals (VDT) at work daily. 

Participants using MaquiBright reported an amelioration of 57 percent in bothersome dry eye symptoms after four weeks and an increase of 89 percent in tear fluid production in the same time period. 

“This study demonstrates benefits of dry eye reduction with participants receiving dosage as a supplement,” says Humberto Zuckerman, Vice President Marketing and Sales at MNL Group. “People now have an easier choice to combat dry eye. They can simply take one capsule of MaquiBright a day to complement the usage of eye drops multiple times a day.”

MaquiBright, certified Kosher and Halal, is manufactured from selected fresh maqui berries by water extraction and purification under strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) conditions. The extract provides rich purified flavonoids, standardized to bear a minimum of 25 percent delphinidins, a key antioxidant, and a minimum of 35 percent total anthocyanins.

The 2013 US National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS) by the biotech company Kantar Health shows that 16.4 million people in the US suffer from symptoms of dry eyes. As such, the report cites that global revenues of manufacturers producing dry eye treatment products is expected to grow from US$4.6 billion in 2018 to US$6.2 billion by 2023. MaquiBright is marketed as the “only natural oral alternative treatment for dry eye and fatigue symptoms.”

MaquiBright was showcased at the recent Vitafoods Europe 2019, held in Geneva, Switzerland on May 7 to 9, and covered by NutritionInsight.