Juice Plus?

[Josh Rogan]

Dany, it’s interesting that whenever you are shown evidence that proves that your claims about Juice Plus are false, you simply ignore it and try to change the subject. Just to keep things on track, let’s review those false claims you made.

• Juice Plus is entirely organic
– JUICE PLUS HAS NO ORGANIC INGREDIENTS. IF IT DID IT WOULD SAY SO ON THE LABEL, AND IT DOESN’T.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/brochure.html
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/ProdHandlers/labelTable.htm
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/successfulfamil ... ganlab.htm

• Juice Plus is classified as a whole food product not a dietary supplement
– JUICE PLUS, LIKE ANY OTHER VITAMIN PILL, IS CLASSIFIED AND REGULATED AS A DIETARY SUPPLEMENT ACCORDING TO THE 1994 DIETARY SUPPLEMENT HEALTH AND EDUCATION ACT AND THE FEDERAL FOOD, DRUG, AND COSMETIC ACT [21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(1) AND 321(p)(1)]
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/bus ... tsupp.shtm

• The Juice Plus bottle label does not list the amounts of ingredients because it is a whole-food product.
- FALSE. THE MANUFACTURER SIMPLY CHOOSES NOT TO LIST THIS INFORMATION, WHICH MAKES IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR CONSUMERS TO PROPERLY EVALUATE THE PRODUCT. OTHER COMPARABLE PRODUCTS MADE WITH PLANT JUICE POWDER DO LIST THE AMOUNTS OF INGREDIENTS.
http://www.puritan.com/pages/file.asp?x ... &CPID=1036
http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?pr ... age=search
http://www.purityproducts.com/product1.asp?sku=123

• Juice Plus can treat high blood pressure
– NO EVIDENCE THAT JUICE PLUS CAN TREAT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND IT IS ILLEGAL TO MAKE SUCH A CLAIM. AT LEAST ONE STUDY SHOWED THAT IT HAD NO EFFECT ON BLOOD PRESSURE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice_Plus ... ar_effects

• The fruits and veggies are “hand picked at the peak of ripeness and in capsule form within 48 hours”.
– FALSE. OTHER UNRELATED CHEMICAL COMPANIES PROCESS THE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND EVENTUALLY SELL THEM PRE-PROCESSED TO THE MANUFACTURER OF JUICE PLUS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice_Plus ... t_overview
http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/108/108557.html
http://www.cognis.com/company
http://www.schweizerhall.com/html/?id=100&L=1

• Wikipedia’s information on Juice Plus is unreliable
– FALSE, ALL OF WIKIPEDIAS' INFORMATION IS ACCURATE, THOROUGHLY REFERENCED, AND EASILY VERIFIABLE. THE TOP-TIER JOURNAL NATURE PUBLSIHED A REVIEW SHOWING THAT OVERALL, WIKIPEDIA IS QUITE RELIABLE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice_Plus#References
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4530930.stm

• Stephen Barrett of MLMWatch is being investigated by the US government
– FALSE. STEPHEN BARRETT HAS NEVER BEEN THE SUBJECT OF SUCH AN INVESTIGATION AND IS CONSIDERED A REPUTABLE AUTHORITY ON HEALTH FRAUD BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AND VARIOUS MEDICAL ORGANIZATIONS
http://www.quackwatch.org/00AboutQua...ds/awards.html
http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/1999/699_fraud.html
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/select...t/medical.html
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/SciRef...dicalinfo.html
http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInforma...s/quackery.htm
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display...&topic_id=1349
http://www.hiv.va.gov/vahiv?page=prl...f=doc-pf&pp=pf

• St. Jude’s Hospital has 60% of their patients on Juice Plus
– FALSE. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT ST. JUDE’S HAS EVER HAD ANY PATIENT ON JUICE PLUS

• NSA sponsored the St. Jude’s marathon therefore, St. Jude’s must endorse Juice Plus.
– FALSE. JUICE PLUS MERELY DONATES MONEY TO ST. JUDE’S BUT ST. JUDE’S NEVER HAS AND NEVER WILL ENDORSE THE PRODUCT.

• Juice Plus positively affects cancer markers
– FALSE. NO EVIDENCE HAS EVER SHOWN THIS TO BE THE CASE, AND SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS LIKE SLOAN KETTERING MEMORIAL CANCER CENTER AND U PENN'S ABRAHAMSON CANCER CENTER WERE CRITICAL OF JUICE PLUS AND SAID THAT IT OFFERED NO BENEFIT FOR CANCER PATIENTS
http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69270.cfm
http://www.oncolink.com/experts/article ... =3&id=2390
http://juiceplusresearch.blogspot.com/2 ... chive.html

• The company that makes Juice Plus has nothing to do with the publication of research results
– FALSE. THE MANUFACTURER (i.e. NAI EXECUTIVE JOHN WISE) WROTE ROUGHLY HALF OF THE JUICE PLUS STUDIES PUBLISHED TO DATE (THE MANUFACTURERS ALSO PAID FOR ALL OF THE STUDIES) AND SOME OF THE STUDIES WERE WRITTEN BY JUICE PLUS DISTRIBUTORS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice_Plus#Criticism
http://www.mlmwatch.org/04C/USA/usa.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice_Plus ... t_research

• “The studies are all randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, crossover, peer reviewed”
– FALSE. MOST OF THE STUDIES WERE POORLY DESIGNED, INCLUDING MANY OF THOSE QUOTED IN THE SALES BROCHURES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juice_Plus

• “No other supplement, whether it be Centrum, One a Day, Noni Juice, Mona Vie, have any documentation on them. This is what separates JP+ from every other supplement out there.”
– FALSE. THERE IS PUBLISHED RESEARCH ON BOTH NONI JUICE AND CENTRUM. FUNNY THING ABOUT RESEARCH...YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO TRY LOOKING FOR IT BEFORE YOU CAN SAY IT DOESN'T EXIST!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16877067
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14739620
http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/22/2/124

• “Its very simple, fruits and veggies in a capsule. Not Vit C, Vit D, Vit A, beta carotene in a capsule. Its fruits and vegetables in a capsule.”
- FALSE. JUICE PLUS CONTAINS A SLEW OF VITAMIN ADDITIVES INCLUDING VIT C AND BETA-CAROTENE
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/133/11/3725

[hevvonly]

My husband and I have been taking JuicePlus for about three years now. I have lupus, which is an autoimmune disease, and we were told by the representative who sold us the product that JuicePlus has been "proven" to help people with autoimmune disorders. Unfortunately, I have noticed NO improvement whatsoever in my health, but we have continued taking the capsules daily because we figured, "what the heck, what harm can it do?" (Except hit us directly in the wallet.)

When our current stock of JuicePlus runs out, we will not be buying anymore. It is very expensive and truthfully we have not noticed any results from taking this product faithfully, on a daily basis, as directed, for more than three years.

[gardengirl]

Hmmm I wonder who that bad sales rep is.

[Josh Rogan]

My husband and I have been taking JuicePlus for about three years now. I have lupus, which is an autoimmune disease, and we were told by the representative who sold us the product that JuicePlus has been "proven" to help people with autoimmune disorders. Unfortunately, I have noticed NO improvement whatsoever in my health, but we have continued taking the capsules daily because we figured, "what the heck, what harm can it do?" (Except hit us directly in the wallet.)

When our current stock of JuicePlus runs out, we will not be buying anymore. It is very expensive and truthfully we have not noticed any results from taking this product faithfully, on a daily basis, as directed, for more than three years.

Three years??? Ouch! That ain’t cheap. Sadly, your distributor lied to you -- plain and simple. There is no research that even remotely suggests that Juice Plus would be good for lupus or any other autoimmune diseases. This is just another example of how the product is sold through fraudulent marketing and complete disregard for FDA regulations. You should strongly consider sending a complaint about the distributor to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), FDA, and Better Business Bureau. You might even be able to recoup some of your losses from the manufacturer. I would also make a point of telling the distributor where to stick that Juice Plus bottle!
https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.star ... _CODE=PU01
http://www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/buyonlineform.htm
http://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/SitePage.aspx ... 71ecfda32e
http://juiceplusresearch.blogspot.com/2 ... ising.html
http://juiceplusresearch.blogspot.com/2 ... legal.html

[Al B Singer]

Josh, based on what we are witnessing here, there must be thousands of people who were sold Juice Plus under false pretenses, as was the case with Hevvonly who was falsely told that there is research showing that Juice Plus can treat lupus and other autoimmune diseases (what a crock!).

Any Juice Plus customer who was misinformed by their distributor is a victim of fraud, and they have the right to demand a full refund. If every one of these victimized customers went after the company for a refund, it would probably mean the end of Juice Plus. There is easily enough ammunition here for individual civil lawsuits, prosecution by the FDA/FTC and state/federal attorneys, and even a class action lawsuit.

[gardengirl]

What a great idea.


Excellent first post. WELCOME!

[Josh Rogan]

Second that. It's time to pay back all those customers who were misled and to levy penalties against the manufacturer for encouraging their distributors to spread misinformation and illegal claims.

[bishopfitness]

Has anyone heard of, or tried "Juice Plus". It is supposed to be a suppliment made from fruits and vegetables. It doesn't take the place of eating fruits and vegetablrs, but aparently "bridges the gap" when you can't eat all your recommended servings per day.

This woman is trying to sell me the products, and I'm leary to try them.

My issues are:

There is no list of ingredients. The literature just says "contains apples, kale, pineapple etc.". I was under the impression that you have to list ingredients in Canada for something to be legally sold here.

The product costs $60 per month, and you take only 2 capsules per day. One is Fruit and one is veg. I have a hard time believing that 2 small capsules of powder can really do much, considering you have to take about 12 capsules per day of other "green food" supplements from the health food store. Most "green foods" list not only their ingredients, but their vitamin information as well.

They say "Juice plus is not a vitamin". and it's "hard to explain what it is". This all seems fishy to me.

As far as I know, Juice Plus is an "Amway" style pyramid or MLM system, which also makes me uncomfortable. I'm not crazy about Amway style businesses.

Has anyone every tried these supplements or knows anything about them? I have been on the Juice Plus website, but it's not all that helpful.

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

best thing i can say, i have tried the product. i would say try it for yourself and see what you think. then use your best judgement!!!!!

[Blossom2]

I eat a lot of fruit and veg. but thought I would give this product a try- I also ordered the grape tablet also as I was more impressed with what they had to say about this product. Haven't started yet as I am just waiting for the product to arrival. I guess I have signed up for the next four months so will be interested to see if there is a difference in my chol level ect. Then will decide if I am going to keep on it or not. I am under the impression that even tho one eats lots of fruit and veg. these tablets covers all meaning all the fruits and veg. and I know even tho I eat a lot of this I am still not consuming everything I should. Will try this and then have the blood test for chol.

[Dolores]

I eat a lot of fruit and veg. but thought I would give this product a try- I also ordered the grape tablet also as I was more impressed with what they had to say about this product. Haven't started yet as I am just waiting for the product to arrival. I guess I have signed up for the next four months so will be interested to see if there is a difference in my chol level ect. Then will decide if I am going to keep on it or not. I am under the impression that even tho one eats lots of fruit and veg. these tablets covers all meaning all the fruits and veg. and I know even tho I eat a lot of this I am still not consuming everything I should. Will try this and then have the blood test for chol.

A simple and inexpensive solution to your problem are called garlic and lecitin capsuls.

Much cheaper and easier to get and you don't have to sign up for 4 months (what a load of cr@p that is)

Cancel your order and head to the nearest health food store. Get yourself some of the above mentioned pills and take them faithfully for a few months. You might be surprised at the results!!!!

Good Luck either way

[JRicks]

[usquebaugh]

That was taken care of quickly!

[erohrke]

I know 4 people that are on Juice Plus two of whom are my mother and myself. Mom and I have been on this product for 4 years. It all started when my girlfriend whom I had not seen for few years came to visit me. She looked absolutely wonderful. She no longer looked drained as she did when I saw her a few years earlier. She had a bad complexion as well. I couldn't believe the difference--her skin now glowed. She felt strong and energetic. I was so impressed by the change in her that I asked her why she appeared so healthy.
Her sister told her about JP and my friend had been on it for a year when I saw her. Mom and I thought that we had nothing to lose so we tried it and 4 years later we are still on it. I have systemic Lupus and am on chemotherapy indefinitely because the Lupus attacks my kidneys. You probably know how low a person's immunity gets when they are on Chemo. Before JP I would be sick with flus and colds all year round. I couldn't take the flu shot because it put my body into attack mode and my antibody count would go sky high again. I have not had a shot for 4 years and I do not get ill at all with colds and flus now. This stuff has saved my life and my mom's. She has chronic kidney disease.
A person takes FOUR capsules a day. 2 fruit caps in the morning and 2 vegetable caps at supper. These caps contain SEVENTEEN whole fruits and veggies a day. I never ate enough fruits and veggies to even come close to that amount. I was given plenty of information on the product so I could make an informed decision. JC sells itself in my opinion. If this is a pyramid scheme why am I not selling it so I can make some profit?

[gardengirl]

It is not so much a pyramid scheme as a multi-level marketing product.
As such, they are often over-priced and make ridiculous health claims.
I am sure that eating properly, getting enough fruit and vegetables is good for you.

[JodiDDD]

Does anyone have any opinions with the Tower Garden?