MyrtiPRO® (BGG Bilberry Extract, Vaccinium myrtillus)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

1. Kosehira M, Machida N, Kitaichi N A 12-Week-Long Intake of Bilberry Extract (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) Improved Objective Findings of Ciliary Muscle Contraction of the Eye: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Parallel-Group Comparison Trial Nutrients. 2020;12(3):600. doi: 10.3390/nu12030600.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 109 healthy Japanese adults aged 20 to 60. Participants took 240 mg a day of a standardized bilberry extract, or placebo, for 12 weeks. Tonic accommodation of the ciliary muscle after screen work (HFC-1) was better on bilberry than on placebo at weeks 8 and 12 (p = 0.014 and p = 0.017). This measures the focusing muscle, not the retina, and no retinal outcome was assessed. The extract was made by Omnica Co., Ltd., not BGG; Omnica funded the study and two of the three authors are Omnica employees.
2. Yu WY, Chan LYL, Chung A, Lee PH, Woo GC Bilberry-containing supplements on severe dry eye disease in young and middle-aged adults: A 3-month pilot analysis Front Nutr. 2023;10:1061818. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1061818.PubMedUsed to support: Three-month study in 24 adults with severe dry eye: 12 given a daily supplement containing 600 mg bilberry extract plus 240 mg of DHA-refined fish oil, and 12 given nothing. Ocular Surface Disease Index scores, non-invasive tear break-up time and phenol red thread values improved in the supplemented group. There was no placebo and no blinding, and the authors report effect sizes rather than significance tests. Because bilberry and fish oil were given together, the result cannot be assigned to bilberry.
3. Riva A, Togni S, Franceschi F, Kawada S, Inaba Y, Eggenhoffner R, Giacomelli L The effect of a natural, standardized bilberry extract (Mirtoselect®) in dry eye: a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled trial Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2017;21(10):2518-2525.PubMedUsed to support: Four-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial in 22 people with dry eye symptoms, of whom 21 completed: 11 on Mirtoselect, a standardized bilberry extract manufactured by Indena SpA, and 10 on placebo. Tear volume on Schirmer's test improved from baseline in the bilberry group (p = 0.019) while the placebo group did not change; no direct statistical comparison between the two groups is reported. Blood antioxidant potential also improved from baseline (p = 0.003). The paper additionally reports a bioavailability experiment in rats. The product tested is Indena's, not BGG's, and the paper's lead authors are at Indena SpA.
4. Szumny D, Kucharska AZ, Czajor K, Bernacka K, Ziólkowska S, Krzyzanowska-Berkowska P, Magdalan J, Misiuk-Hojlo M, Sozanski T, Szelag A Extract from Aronia melanocarpa, Lonicera caerulea, and Vaccinium myrtillus Improves near Visual Acuity in People with Presbyopia Nutrients. 2024;16(7):926. doi: 10.3390/nu16070926.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized, double-blind crossover study in 23 adults over 50 with presbyopia who worked long hours at screens, taking 400 mg twice daily of AKB, a combined extract of chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), honeysuckle berry (Lonicera caerulea) and bilberry standardized for anthocyanins and iridoids. Near visual acuity did not change during the first 6 weeks and improved only in the second cycle, in 92.3% of patients; Schirmer test wetting improved in 80% at week 6 and fell to 61.5% later. Results are reported as proportions of patients rather than between-arm comparisons, and the authors call the findings preliminary. Because three plants were given together, no effect can be attributed to bilberry.
5. de Mello VD, Lankinen MA, Lindstrom J, Puupponen-Pimia R, Laaksonen DE, Pihlajamaki J, et al. Fasting serum hippuric acid is elevated after bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) consumption and associates with improvement of fasting glucose levels and insulin secretion in persons at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017;61(9). doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201700019.PubMedUsed to support: Metabolite analysis from an 8-week randomized dietary trial in 47 people with features of metabolic syndrome, 15 of whom ate the equivalent of 400 g of fresh bilberries a day. Fasting serum hippuric acid rose 3.5-fold in the bilberry group only (p = 0.001) and correlated with fasting glucose (r = -0.54) and insulin secretion (r = 0.59), with the associations reproduced in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study cohort. Hippuric acid is a marker of polyphenol intake, so this shows the berries were absorbed and metabolized. The study measured no antioxidant status and no vascular outcome, and it used whole berries at food quantities, not a concentrated extract.
6. Muth ER, Laurent JM, Jasper P The effect of bilberry nutritional supplementation on night visual acuity and contrast sensitivity Altern Med Rev. 2000;5(2):164-73.PubMedUsed to support: Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 15 young men with good vision at the Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory. Participants took 160 mg of bilberry extract standardized to 25% anthocyanosides three times a day, 480 mg daily, for 21 days per period with a one-month washout. There was no difference between bilberry and placebo in night visual acuity or night contrast sensitivity at any measurement point. The authors concluded the study casts doubt on bilberry improving night vision at currently recommended doses.
7. Canter PH, Ernst E Anthocyanosides of Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) for night vision--a systematic review of placebo-controlled trials Surv Ophthalmol. 2004;49(1):38-50. doi: 10.1016/j.survophthal.2003.10.006.PubMedUsed to support: Systematic review of 30 trials with outcomes relevant to vision in reduced light, 12 of them placebo-controlled. The four most recent trials were all randomized controlled trials and all were negative in outcome. A fifth randomized trial and seven non-randomized controlled trials reported positive effects. Negative outcome was associated with more rigorous methodology. The authors conclude that the hypothesis that bilberry anthocyanosides improve normal night vision is not supported by evidence from rigorous clinical studies, and note a complete absence of rigorous research in people whose night vision is impaired by eye disease.
8. Penman KG, Halstead CW, Matthias A, De Voss JJ, Stuthe JM, Bone KM. Bilberry adulteration using the food dye amaranth. J Agric Food Chem. 2006;2006;54(19):7378-82.PubMedUsed to support: Two commercial bilberry extracts were assayed for anthocyanin content. Both read 25% by the usual single-wavelength spectrophotometric method, matching the manufacturers' claims, but HPLC showed that in one extract 9% of the anthocyanins were not from Vaccinium myrtillus. Mass spectrometry and NMR identified the substance as amaranth, a synthetic red azo dye. The authors conclude that a single-wavelength assay cannot detect deliberate adulteration and that HPLC with photodiode array detection is the minimum needed.
9. Gardana C, Ciappellano S, Marinoni L, Fachechi C, Simonetti P Bilberry adulteration: identification and chemical profiling of anthocyanins by different analytical methods J Agric Food Chem. 2014;62(45):10998-11004. doi: 10.1021/jf504078v.PubMedUsed to support: Fourteen commercial bilberry extracts and 12 finished bilberry supplements were profiled by liquid chromatography with diode array and mass spectrometric detection against authentic bilberry fruit, in which 15 anthocyanins were identified. About half the extracts differed significantly from the reference profile, suggesting adulteration. Roughly 60% of extracts and 33% of finished supplements contained less anthocyanin than declared. The adulterants observed were mainly mulberry and chokeberry extracts.
10. Ozawa Y, Kawashima M, Inoue S, Inagaki E, Suzuki A, Ooe E, Kobayashi S, Tsubota K Bilberry extract supplementation for preventing eye fatigue in video display terminal workers J Nutr Health Aging. 2015;19(5):548-54. doi: 10.1007/s12603-014-0573-6.PubMedUsed to support: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 88 Japanese office workers aged 20 to 40, screened from 281 candidates for relatively low critical flicker fusion and near point accommodation, with 43 on bilberry extract 480 mg/day and 37 on placebo completing 8 weeks. The screen-work-induced fall in critical flicker fusion was smaller with bilberry than placebo (95% CI 0.10 to 1.60, p = 0.023), while near point accommodation did not differ. Five of 18 subjective eye strain symptoms improved more than placebo. There were no severe adverse events. The work was conducted by Wakasa Seikatsu Co., Ltd., which employs two of the authors and financially supports two more. The extract tested was that company's product, not BGG's.
11. Gaspar DP, Lechtenberg M, Hensel A Quality Assessment of Bilberry Fruits (Vaccinium myrtillus) and Bilberry-Containing Dietary Supplements J Agric Food Chem. 2021;69(7):2213-2225. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.0c07784.PubMedUsed to support: HPLC fingerprinting of bilberry fruit and bilberry supplements against a quantified reference extract at the University of Munster. Ninety-one percent of dried bilberries were of good overall quality, but 45% of the dietary supplements tested were of unacceptable quality, including bilberry-free products, products nearly free of anthocyanins and tannins, and samples falsified with anthocyanins from other sources. Reported adulterants also include other Vaccinium species and elderberries.
12. Chan SW, Chu TTW, Choi SW, Benzie IFF, Tomlinson B Impact of short-term bilberry supplementation on glycemic control, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and antioxidant status in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes Phytother Res. 2021;35(6):3236-3245. doi: 10.1002/ptr.7038 (erratum Phytother Res 2022;36(4):1836).PubMedUsed to support: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 20 patients with type 2 diabetes given 1.4 g a day of bilberry extract for 4 weeks against matching placebo, with a 6-week washout. There was no effect on body weight, blood pressure or lipid profile. HbA1c fell 0.31% on bilberry but the change was not significantly different from placebo. Antioxidant status, oxidative stress and inflammatory status showed no significant differences across treatments.
13. Kizawa Y, Sekikawa T, Kageyama M, Tomobe H, Kobashi R, Yamada T Effects of anthocyanin, astaxanthin, and lutein on eye functions: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study J Clin Biochem Nutr. 2021;69(1):77-90. doi: 10.3164/jcbn.20-149.PubMedUsed to support: Forty-four Japanese adults with eye fatigue after screen work took two capsules daily for 6 weeks or placebo, with 20 per group analysed. Each capsule contained 100 mg of a BGG Japan bilberry extract powder supplying 36 mg of anthocyanins, 60 mg of Haematococcus pluvialis pigment supplying 3 mg of astaxanthin, and 12.5 mg of marigold extract supplying 5 mg of lutein, so the daily dose was 200 mg of bilberry extract, 6 mg of astaxanthin and 10 mg of lutein. The active group showed better pupillary response after screen work and better scores for trouble focusing and for difficulty seeing nearby objects. Tear break-up time, Schirmer's value, macular pigment optical density and muscle hardness did not differ between groups. Because three actives were given together, no result can be attributed to bilberry. Sponsored by BGG Japan Co., Ltd. and DHC Corporation, with authors employed by both.