Juice Plus Research Blog

From Leo Gerlock (July 20, 2007)
Wow! I am strangely creeped out by reading some of the other posts on this site. Many of them mirror similar experiences I have had with Juice Plus products/distributors.

I am glad to see that this site allows viewers the ability to read through the Juice Plus research for themselves with out all the NSA marketing. I could share frustrating experiences I have had with Juice Plus distributors. But my beef is with NSA/Juice Plus for hustling a low grade product under the guise of advancing scientific research.

Here is my story: One day back in the summer of 2005 I got bored and decided to read up on all the Juice Plus research after hearing my sister in-law going on and on about it. I started with the actual NSA/Juice Plus site and read the abstracts on the research that was available in 2005. What I read was basic in scope and was limited to, at most, abstracts. I thought, "Well, abstracts are a start, surely I'll be able to find the full publications." So I Googled "Juice Plus" and I was somewhat taken aback by all the .com domain websites I found touting the "growing body of independent scientific research" behind Juice Plus. Yet with so many rave reviews, I was hard pressed to find any sites (apart from Pub Med) that allowed me access to full publications (not abstracts) without having to pay a fee. I was only able to get 1 full publication (Plotnick et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2003;41(10):1744-9).

I read the publication and found it to be interesting, but not much else since no single publication can really define a "growing body of research". And since I didn't have the time or resources to hunt down and read all the cross references listed in the above publication, I really had no way to gauge the actual quality of the publication in terms of similar research.

So, I emailed a couple of Juice Plus distributors and they basically told me almost verbatim what is on all the other Juice Plus promotional sites. So, I told my mother-in law, who is a distributor, about how I couldn't get any full publications from anyone. She informed me that only distributors could access them. She did let me read the publications she had. I read through them and didn't find anything all that definitive; just more authors concluding more research needed to be done. Not nearly as exciting as all the smoke up the bum one gets when reading the NSA promos.

I figured most of scientific hustle of Juice Plus boils down to a few things:

1. It ain't new news that a healthy diet is beneficial. Juice Plus promo material ingeniously capitalizes on this near common knowledge. Who's mom/grandma hasn't told them fruits/vegetables are good for them?
2. Marketing goes a long way. Bandwagoning, emotional appeals, slippery slopes…you name it. Juice Plus promo stuff is like an English Comp II case study in faulty logic.
3. Money, who doesn't want it? The whole Juice Plus distributorship scheme is so easy, it is like failing off a log. Start by buying the product and then "gift and share" the product to anything with a social security number and BAHM! you got downlines making the money for you! And hey it's not Amway, it's got science and math stuff and Ph.D.-ed people to back it up, so it must be good. Right?!

And as far as making Juice Plus distributorship a viable career path, personally, I wouldn't recomend it. The bad vibes Juice Plus has generated since I last reviewed the topic will more likely scare people away from it. Think Jehovah's Witnesses at the front door. And I think the money machine that is Juice Plus/NSA will fizzle out, since the carrying capacity for this sucker just isn't there. The product has been out there for too long. It's an MLM fossil! Anyone with basic knowledge of other MLM schemes knows that it's the people who get in on the distributorships at the start who make all the money.

Keep On Posting!

From Anonymous I (July 20, 2007)
Call me skeptical. Here is my story:

Up until 40 years of age, I was generally healthy, fit, athletic, and good natured. Upon reaching 40, I experienced a myriad of seemingly disparate medical symptoms. I was frequently sick, fatigued, foggy, hazy, and depressed. Over time, it got worse and I even began to get shaky. I went through more than 12 different tests for diabetes, hepatitis, blood sugar, colon cancer, gall bladder, liver, MS, and Parkinson’s. This was over a 2-year period, and there were no findings from my doctors.

Through this, I started taking Juice Plus at the request of a friend. Obviously it didn’t help, as my health continued to decline.

The good news is that I found the problem!I was not being honest, with my doctors or even with myself, about how much alcohol I was consuming. I quit drinking, joined a support group, and returned to wonderfully good health (both mental and physical). I have learned, through my new-found friends in “recovery”, that my story is very common.

So, I decided to turn a good works. I contacted my “Juice Plus friend” to share the good news with the masses.
I explained my story, and made myself available to ANYONE (within her client base) who might be suspected of struggling with drinking. She has a very large Juice Plus clientele, and surely runs into many people whose underlying problem is alcohol.

I haven’t heard a thing. It has been over a year now. I have a hard time believing that anyone, even a Juice Plus distributor, would steer someone toward Juice Plus in lieu of healthy recovery from excessive drinking. After all, a drinking problem is literally life-threatening and it can destroy families and careers (and innocent people). I honestly don’t know what to think. Do you think I am becoming too skeptical of the Juice Plus business? Has anyone else heard a story similar to mine?

Reply From The JPRB Team
There is no such thing as being "too skeptical" when it comes to Juice Plus. Congratulations on taking the road to recovery and better health.

From Anonymous II (July 20, 2007)
I looked into legal action against the company. Dr. Barrett (from "Quack Watch") was kind enough to reply to my questions.

I think NSA knows what it is doing, in terms of making claims that are legal (or illegal). They are very careful in their wording, and know how to skirt the law.

Reply From The JPRB Team
Agreed, but there have been so many blatant violations that if the FTC, FDA, IRS, or state authorities were to become involved, they would certainly take strict action to enforce regulations. Your efforts would probably be successful eventually.