Maqui Berry Benefits: A Top Antioxidant Superfruit

You've had plenty of strawberries and blueberries. You might've even tried acai or goji berries in a fancy yogurt bowl. But have you ever heard of the maqui berry?

Maqui fruit is filled with polyphenol antioxidants, including anthocyanins and delphinidins. The extracts made from maqui berry contain a concentrated source of those powerful antioxidants. As a result, they deliver some important benefits for your eye health and comfort and for healthy blood sugar, insulin and hemoglobin A1C levels.

Here's what the research says about maqui berry extracts and the effects they have on your whole-body health.

What is maqui berry?

The maqui berry (also called Aristotelia chilensis or Chilean wine berry) is a purple-black berry that grows natively in parts of South America, including Chile and Argentina. The flavor is tangy, not unlike their cousins, raspberries and blueberries.

For centuries, the leaves, berries, and stems of Aristotelia chilensis have been harvested for wellness purposes. Nowadays, maqui berry fruit is used to make extracts that have been clinically studied to support a number of health goals.

9 maqui berry extract benefits for eyes, blood sugar & beyond

Maqui berries are brimming with anthocyanins, which give berries their dark purple pigment. They're also the richest source of one type of anthocyanin called delphinidin. Anthocyanins have powerful antioxidant capacity, which helps your body fight off oxidative stress. This is one of the biggest reasons why maqui berry extracts have so many beneficial effects on health, including the following.

1. Supports eye health.

Our eyes experience a lot of wear and tear every day. Just think about how much time you spend in front of your computer and phone. It's no surprise we run into eye-related issues over the years. Maqui berry extract can help your eyes function optimally, even as you age. A clinical trial using a maqui berry extract rich in delphinidins found that it promoted overall eye health.

2. Supports healthy tear production.

Maqui berry extract can help maintain healthy eye lubrication and avoid occasional dryness by supporting the natural tear production process. Clinical trials have shown maqui berry MaquiBright^® extract supports tear fluid production vs. placebo, keeping your eyes moist and lubricated and helping to relieve eye discomfort.

3. Helps relieve occasional eye fatigue.

It's no secret that staring at screens all day can lead to tired, uncomfy eyes. In a study of people who look at screens for more than four hours a day, those taking maqui berry extract reported less eye fatigue, mainly due to more tear production, which helps keep the eyes nice and hydrated.

4. Helps maintain already-healthy blood sugar levels.

When you eat food, your body gets to work turning those calories into energy—and that food can affect blood sugar levels. Maqui berry Delphinol^® extract contains polyphenols, including delphinidins, which support healthy glucose levels throughout your day.

5. Stay on an even keel after you eat.

In a clinical study, 200 mg of maqui berry Delphinol^® extract taken before a meal helped manage after-meal glucose spikes by more than 15%. Those post-meal glucose spikes affect your health, so taking maqui berry may be helpful for those seeking to maintain already-healthy glucose levels after eating.

6. Insulin benefits.

After you eat, your body releases insulin to help absorb the sugar in your bloodstream. But too much insulin can be a concern. Research shows that taking maqui berry extract promotes a healthy insulin response after eating.

7. Helps maintain healthy hemoglobin A1c within normal range.

Hemoglobin A1c (known as HbA1c) gives you a measure of your blood sugar over the past three months—think of it like an average score. Maqui berry extract has been shown to help maintain already-healthy hemoglobin A1c levels.

8. Provides antioxidant protection.

Maqui berry extract is a stellar source of antioxidants that help support your whole-body health—most notably, eye health and blood sugar. Antioxidants protect against free radicals, helping defend your body against everyday stressors, including oxidative stress.

9. Rich in polyphenols.

Maqui berry is full of polyphenols called anthocyanins (including the anthocyanin delphinidin). Research shows that anthocyanins can support a healthier oxidative status, and the concentrated anthocyanin content in maqui berry extract comes in a convenient form that packs a powerful punch.

All about the maqui berry

What Other Nutrients Benefit Eye Health?

Maqui is an ocular health legend, but it's not the only option when it comes to vision support. Here are some other nutrients that have been studied for their support of healthy eyes.

• Lycopene
• Beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A)
• Zeaxanthin
• Lutein
• Bilberry
• Saffron
• French maritime pine bark
• Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant
• Vitamin E
• Fish oil
• Zinc

A combination of supplementing and eating a nutrient-rich diet is a great way to stay proactive about your eye health, and the rest of your body, too!

How are the extracts of maqui berries different from acai or blueberry extracts?

These types of berries are all considered superfoods with antioxidant capacity, but they have been studied for different health benefits.

• Blueberry extract promotes a healthy inflammatory response, and it supports brain health, specifically memory.
• Two specific maqui berry extracts have been studied for their health benefits:
• Supporting eye comfort and healthy eye lubrication
• Maintaining healthy long-term average blood sugar levels (hemoglobin A1C)
• Helping maintain already-healthy after-meal blood glucose and blood insulin levels

Are there side effects to maqui berry supplements?

Maqui berry supplements are considered safe and well-tolerated. The many studies conducted on two specific extracts, MaquiBright^® and Delphinol^®, reported few or no adverse effects.

What’s the best way to take maqui berry extract: powder or capsules?

Maqui berry powder might show up as an ingredient in a maqui juice or smoothie recipe, but capsules are the most convenient way to take maqui berry extract every day. Capsules are also the only way to get the clinically studied doses of standardized maqui berry extracts—and the benefits that come with them.

References

• Alvarado J, et al. "Delphinol^® standardized maqui berry extract significantly lowers blood glucose and improves blood lipid profile in prediabetic individuals in three-month clinical trial." Panminerva Med. September 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27820958/
• Arulselvan P, et al. "Role of Antioxidants and Natural Products in Inflammation." Oxid Med Cell Longev. October 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5075620/
• Davey PG, Ranganathan A. "Editorial: Feast your eyes: diet and nutrition for optimal eye health." Front Nutr. March 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11913715/
• Davinelli S, et al. "A Randomized Clinical Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of an Anthocyanin-Maqui Berry Extract (Delphinol^®) on Oxidative Stress Biomarkers." J Am Coll Nutr. 2015. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26400431/
• Hidalgo J, et al. "Delphinol® standardized maqui berry extract reduces postprandial blood glucose increase in individuals with impaired glucose regulation by novel mechanism of sodium glucose cotransporter inhibition." Panminerva Med. June 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24861886/
• Hitoe S, et al. "MaquiBright™ standardized maqui berry extract significantly increases tear fluid production and ameliorates dry eye-related symptoms in a clinical pilot trial." Panminerva Med. September 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25208615/
• Kundu G, et al. "Effect of maqui-berry extract in dry eye disease - A clinical and molecular analysis." Indian J Ophthalmol. April 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10276697/
• Rodella U, et al. "Antioxidant Nutraceutical Strategies in the Prevention of Oxidative Stress Related Eye Diseases." Nutrients. May 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10221444/
• Romanucci V, et al. "Bioactive Compounds of Aristotelia chilensis Stuntz and their Pharmacological Effects." Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26778456/
• Schön C, et al. "Bioavailability Study of Maqui Berry Extract in Healthy Subjects." Nutrients. November 2018. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6267473/
• Yamashita S, et al. "Effects of MaquiBright® on improving eye dryness and fatigue in humans: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial." J Tradit Complement Med. November 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6544612/
• "Diet and Nutrition." American Academy of Ophthalmology. April 2023. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/diet-nutrition