Thursday, April 23, 2009
Katz Study Shows Lack of Effect of Juice Plus on Cardiovascular Function
The results of a study conducted by David Katz[1] and funded by Juice Plus manufacturer National Safety Associates (NSA) showed that subjects taking Juice Plus for 8 weeks had no significant changes in various parameters of cardiovascular health. In a November 29, 2004 article published by Yale Daily News,[2] it was announced that NSA gave Katz $200,000 to conduct the research. It was planned that the study would enroll 40 overweight insulin-resistant adults over 12 months.
The study was never published; however, a July 2008 news report by The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center[3] announced that the study had in fact been completed and that it showed that Juice Plus had no effects whatsoever on cardiovascular function. According to the Center:
Katz’s business relationship with NSA has continued however. The company gave Katz yet another grant, this time to produce a child-targeted DVD entitled “Nutrition Detectives”, which is promoted by NSA and sells for $5 per copy on Katz website.[5]
References
The study was never published; however, a July 2008 news report by The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center[3] announced that the study had in fact been completed and that it showed that Juice Plus had no effects whatsoever on cardiovascular function. According to the Center:
“Participants took the Juice Plus capsules, or a placebo, daily for eight weeks. At the end of that period, endothelial function improved slightly in all groups; no difference as seen between placebo and supplementation, nor did we find a significant difference serum insulin, blood glucose, body weight, total cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol. A number of studies of Juice Plus on various disease status markers have been carried out (www.juiceplus.com); however, while some of these studies suggest cardiovascular benefits associated with Juice Plus, our study did not show that endothelial function is affected by Juice Plus consumption.”Although the study was concluded at least 9 months ago, NSA’s Juice Plus website still lists it as “research underway” and does not mention the study’s negative conclusions.[4]
Katz’s business relationship with NSA has continued however. The company gave Katz yet another grant, this time to produce a child-targeted DVD entitled “Nutrition Detectives”, which is promoted by NSA and sells for $5 per copy on Katz website.[5]
References
- Readers Respond: David Katz and Juice Plus. Juice Plus Research Blog; April 29, 2008.
http://juiceplusresearch.blogspot.com/2008/04/readers-respond-david-katz-and-juice.html - Kahn S. Pill May Supplement Fruits, Vegetables. Yale Daily News; November 29, 2004.
http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/12439 - The Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center Newsflash. July, 2008.
http://www.yalegriffinprc.org/downloads/newsflash/Newsflash_7.08.pdf - Juice Plus Clinical Research Currently Underway. National Safety Associates. https://www.juiceplus.com/nsa/content/ResearchUnderway.soa
- Nutrition Detectives. David L. Katz homepage.
http://www.davidkatzmd.com/nutritiondetectives.aspx
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Juice Plus Cycling Team's Funding Evaporates
Cyclists on the Juice Plus racing team were left high and dry after their official sponsor announced this month that it was suspending the team’s funding, cycling magazine VeloNews reported last week.
Cyclists Laura Van Gilder and Rebecca Larson, two of eight women on the now defunct Juice Plus roster, said that they signed contracts with team director and manager Bill Short in November 2008 after beginning talks with him in October. They each received an e-mail from Short on February 7 notifying them that the team had lost their sponsorship.
“Bill had said that he had this great program set up … he had secured sponsorship from numerous other sponsors, especially Juice Plus, so everything seemed great," Larson explained, but “last Saturday (February 7), he sent an e-mail to us saying that we were all released and the team was no longer,” Van Gilder added.
According to VeloNews, Van Gilder said she wrote Short right after receiving the e-mail about the team folding and asked to speak with him; he texted back that he would call, but she never heard from him. Short has not spoken to Van Gilder or Larson since that e-mail, though there has been e-mail communication. Larson confirmed that she has referred the matter to an attorney.
References
Cyclists Laura Van Gilder and Rebecca Larson, two of eight women on the now defunct Juice Plus roster, said that they signed contracts with team director and manager Bill Short in November 2008 after beginning talks with him in October. They each received an e-mail from Short on February 7 notifying them that the team had lost their sponsorship.
“Bill had said that he had this great program set up … he had secured sponsorship from numerous other sponsors, especially Juice Plus, so everything seemed great," Larson explained, but “last Saturday (February 7), he sent an e-mail to us saying that we were all released and the team was no longer,” Van Gilder added.
According to VeloNews, Van Gilder said she wrote Short right after receiving the e-mail about the team folding and asked to speak with him; he texted back that he would call, but she never heard from him. Short has not spoken to Van Gilder or Larson since that e-mail, though there has been e-mail communication. Larson confirmed that she has referred the matter to an attorney.
References
- Reid, Kathie. Juice Plus Folds in the 11th Hour. VeloNews
http://www.velonews.com/article/88172
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Readers Respond (February 22, 2009)
From: Anonymous (Received February 20, 2009)
A pushy St Louis area woman badgered me into ordering some of this crap. I was soon covered in hives, had numbness in my feet and was bathroom dependent for days. I'll never be sold anything ever again. I'll stick to Centrum or something recommended by a pharmacist.
A pushy St Louis area woman badgered me into ordering some of this crap. I was soon covered in hives, had numbness in my feet and was bathroom dependent for days. I'll never be sold anything ever again. I'll stick to Centrum or something recommended by a pharmacist.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Readers Respond (December 17, 2008)
From: Anonymous (Received December 12, 2008)
I had never heard of this stuff before but a friend of mine started selling it recently. She emailed me and asked me to go to a Saturday morning info session about it which, not happening. Then I went to the movies with her a few months later and she unfortunately spent that entire time trying to convince me that Juice Plus could somehow regrow the cartilage in my knees (a youth spent in too many high impact exercise classes) and my Dad's Diabetes. But that's not all-it cured Rheumatoid Arthritis in a friend of a friend of her distributor. I tried to change the topic several times but she kept on about how they crush the vegetable, research at Yale, blah blah blah. It was such an awkward evening I was so glad when she left.
A cursory Googling just proved that I was right to be skeptical which is almost inevitably the case. And a look at the website made me sick: $40 bucks and change a month with a 4 month minimum order? I didn't get rid of my osteoarthritis but I have one less friend now. Anyways, thanks for your blog. I hate to see people taken advantage of. She's fallen onto some hard financial times and is completely sucked in.
Anyways, thanks for your blog. I hate to see people taken advantage of. She's fallen onto some hard financial times and is completely sucked in.
I had never heard of this stuff before but a friend of mine started selling it recently. She emailed me and asked me to go to a Saturday morning info session about it which, not happening. Then I went to the movies with her a few months later and she unfortunately spent that entire time trying to convince me that Juice Plus could somehow regrow the cartilage in my knees (a youth spent in too many high impact exercise classes) and my Dad's Diabetes. But that's not all-it cured Rheumatoid Arthritis in a friend of a friend of her distributor. I tried to change the topic several times but she kept on about how they crush the vegetable, research at Yale, blah blah blah. It was such an awkward evening I was so glad when she left.
A cursory Googling just proved that I was right to be skeptical which is almost inevitably the case. And a look at the website made me sick: $40 bucks and change a month with a 4 month minimum order? I didn't get rid of my osteoarthritis but I have one less friend now. Anyways, thanks for your blog. I hate to see people taken advantage of. She's fallen onto some hard financial times and is completely sucked in.
Anyways, thanks for your blog. I hate to see people taken advantage of. She's fallen onto some hard financial times and is completely sucked in.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Readers Respond (December 01, 2008)
From: Name Withheld By Request (Received November 12, 2008)
I know this is long and winded but I REALLY needed to vent!
What do you do when you feel like your child has been the victim of a well meaning predatory Juice Plus “friend”? You go to lengths to research, then you go to the presentation anyway. My daughter has oral allergy syndrome and can’t eat most raw fruits and vegetables, although cooked ones are fine. She came home and said “I want to try these because this is the answer to my veggie problem.” What problem? “Well, mom- geez, once they’re cooked I might as well not bother” oh really? Since when? Since she talked to the Juice Plus rep that’s when!!
As I sat in the room I thought, “am I the only one who thinks this is a farce?” The speaker was very likeable, and did quote good information on food structure, but fell off the deep end with a few things. I was assured it was just a health lecture -- but lo and behold at the end of the lecture BAM a big ‘ol picture of Juice Plus on the screen. I concluded that the general population of North America that aren’t sick just don’t know it yet. AND news flash -- microwaves are only suitable as boat anchors. A study on cats was referred to- where they were fed cooked food and died… the only study I could find was the Pottenger study -- done in 1932-1942 -- in which the cats decline was marked on cooked food -- when there were no microwave ovens.
This was listening to dietary radicalism at its finest. A page of fear mongering stats, telling us the decline of the population is inevitable and telling us that this supplement may, n conjunction with the suggested good eating plan, ward off the inevitable. Well geez -- am I the only one who sees that if we all started eating 80% veggies, 20% lean protein/grains etc, drank 8 glasses of water a day and exercised 30 minutes/day 5 days a week, laid off the fatty sugary foods -- wait a minute -- sounds like a plan before the pills…
I also noted the general health of all the juice-plus reps and their families. Surprisingly typical cross-section considering they should all be religiously following the full regimen since they are so concerned about their health and yours. We touched on several deep end theories all in one talk -- no microwave (remember the cats), no milk (what other animal drinks another animals milk?), eat organic (you guessed it -– the soil depletion thing), no white (white sugar, flour, fat, milk, rice), eat 13 servings of fruits/veggies a day -- that’s 13 fist-size portions. And of course supplement it all with pills because we are all human and though we try, we just need a little help. And then the big C. Don’t get me started on the cancer angle -- especially since my sister-in-law is currently undergoing chemo. And when you think you are armed with information- don’t bother to challenge; they give you the patent answer for everything you say. For every study listed at this talk there is one that has been done at a reputable institution and refutes what they say. “Oh, no no no, those are put out by the competitors.” What about all the fiber removed? (oh, no, no, no, the fiber is still in there).
The person doing the talk is not paid by Juice Plus but acknowledges the charitable foundation she heads is in partnership with them. Does the charitable foundation pay her then? Someone must! Everyone there truly believes she travels around the world giving nutritional talks for Juice Plus out of the goodness of her heart. I repeat am I the only one? Heaven help me I’ve stumbled into the twilight zone of health care!!!
I know this is long and winded but I REALLY needed to vent!
What do you do when you feel like your child has been the victim of a well meaning predatory Juice Plus “friend”? You go to lengths to research, then you go to the presentation anyway. My daughter has oral allergy syndrome and can’t eat most raw fruits and vegetables, although cooked ones are fine. She came home and said “I want to try these because this is the answer to my veggie problem.” What problem? “Well, mom- geez, once they’re cooked I might as well not bother” oh really? Since when? Since she talked to the Juice Plus rep that’s when!!
As I sat in the room I thought, “am I the only one who thinks this is a farce?” The speaker was very likeable, and did quote good information on food structure, but fell off the deep end with a few things. I was assured it was just a health lecture -- but lo and behold at the end of the lecture BAM a big ‘ol picture of Juice Plus on the screen. I concluded that the general population of North America that aren’t sick just don’t know it yet. AND news flash -- microwaves are only suitable as boat anchors. A study on cats was referred to- where they were fed cooked food and died… the only study I could find was the Pottenger study -- done in 1932-1942 -- in which the cats decline was marked on cooked food -- when there were no microwave ovens.
This was listening to dietary radicalism at its finest. A page of fear mongering stats, telling us the decline of the population is inevitable and telling us that this supplement may, n conjunction with the suggested good eating plan, ward off the inevitable. Well geez -- am I the only one who sees that if we all started eating 80% veggies, 20% lean protein/grains etc, drank 8 glasses of water a day and exercised 30 minutes/day 5 days a week, laid off the fatty sugary foods -- wait a minute -- sounds like a plan before the pills…
I also noted the general health of all the juice-plus reps and their families. Surprisingly typical cross-section considering they should all be religiously following the full regimen since they are so concerned about their health and yours. We touched on several deep end theories all in one talk -- no microwave (remember the cats), no milk (what other animal drinks another animals milk?), eat organic (you guessed it -– the soil depletion thing), no white (white sugar, flour, fat, milk, rice), eat 13 servings of fruits/veggies a day -- that’s 13 fist-size portions. And of course supplement it all with pills because we are all human and though we try, we just need a little help. And then the big C. Don’t get me started on the cancer angle -- especially since my sister-in-law is currently undergoing chemo. And when you think you are armed with information- don’t bother to challenge; they give you the patent answer for everything you say. For every study listed at this talk there is one that has been done at a reputable institution and refutes what they say. “Oh, no no no, those are put out by the competitors.” What about all the fiber removed? (oh, no, no, no, the fiber is still in there).
The person doing the talk is not paid by Juice Plus but acknowledges the charitable foundation she heads is in partnership with them. Does the charitable foundation pay her then? Someone must! Everyone there truly believes she travels around the world giving nutritional talks for Juice Plus out of the goodness of her heart. I repeat am I the only one? Heaven help me I’ve stumbled into the twilight zone of health care!!!
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Readers Respond (October 07, 2008)
From Josie (October 07, 2008)
Here is a story for you. I think you will find it interesting. I was diagnosed with MS a couple of years ago....before going on any of the pharm meds I wanted to be sure I tried everything else, natural. I went to a naturopathic Dr, who I really liked. I read books on diets and drastically changed that and started taking the vitamins they say help people with MS. After a year of doing this, I still declined and decided to go on the drugs (with continuation of everything else). After a year of being on the drugs, I broke out in severe hives and decided to go off of the meds, as advised by my MS Doc. I was going to a general practitioner for the hives and was on and off of Steriods until they finally subsided.
This is when it gets weird. A couple of months later I get a call from the Dr's office saying they wanted me to come in for extensive blood work. I got excited because I wanted them to do this in order to find out if I was allergic to anything besides the MS meds, which were helping. I thought...great, I finally got a Dr who is being proactive with my health. I got there and they took 8 vials of blood. WOW....the Dr., who I have never seen before, came in and sat down and started talking about treating me as a whole and getting to the root of my problem. He then started to talk about Whole Food vitamins. I told him I took one already that I get from Whole Foods. He then told me about Juice Plus and wanted me to buy some and gave me the information with the website. I just sat there and looked at him...and thought this is weird. Did he call me in here for this???!!!! He really can't belong to one of those pyramid scheme things can he...??? A Dr??...Well, sure enough, it looks like he was/is. I of course didn't order any of it.
This Dr saw that I had MS and is trying to take advantage of someone with a chronic illness. It makes me sick!!! Luckily I am an educated person in regards to my illness and these types of things. He actually poked jabs at my MS Dr and said most of these specialists are only concerned with getting you on pharm drugs. I think it is important for Dr's to make their patients aware of the benefits of being healthy and taking vitamins, but to me this crossed the line. He saw my report from my last MRI come across his desk...noticed I had MS and probably got excited about making a few bucks. Is this even legal??!!!!
JPRB Reply
Thanks for writing Josie. We most definitely find the story interesting. There is no question that the physician’s actions were highly unethical. As to the legal ramifications, if he contacted you after looking at your test results or patient information without your consent, then it would in all likelihood be a legal violation. It would also be illegal if the physician is a Juice Plus distributor and made claims implying that Juice Plus could cure or treat MS or its symptoms.
We suggest that you report the incident immediately to the American Medical Association and your state medical board. A call to the Office of the Inspector General and your State Attorney might not be a bad idea either. You may also wish to let your regular MS specialist know that this other physician was bad mouthing him and pushing Juice Plus on you. It might help if an incident like this were to come up again with one of your regular doctor's patients.
It would also be helpful if you could provide us with the physician's name so that others can be warned of their predatory and unethical behavior. We will be happy to followup by researching the background of this physician and we can offer our assistance if you wish to file a complaint.
Here is a story for you. I think you will find it interesting. I was diagnosed with MS a couple of years ago....before going on any of the pharm meds I wanted to be sure I tried everything else, natural. I went to a naturopathic Dr, who I really liked. I read books on diets and drastically changed that and started taking the vitamins they say help people with MS. After a year of doing this, I still declined and decided to go on the drugs (with continuation of everything else). After a year of being on the drugs, I broke out in severe hives and decided to go off of the meds, as advised by my MS Doc. I was going to a general practitioner for the hives and was on and off of Steriods until they finally subsided.
This is when it gets weird. A couple of months later I get a call from the Dr's office saying they wanted me to come in for extensive blood work. I got excited because I wanted them to do this in order to find out if I was allergic to anything besides the MS meds, which were helping. I thought...great, I finally got a Dr who is being proactive with my health. I got there and they took 8 vials of blood. WOW....the Dr., who I have never seen before, came in and sat down and started talking about treating me as a whole and getting to the root of my problem. He then started to talk about Whole Food vitamins. I told him I took one already that I get from Whole Foods. He then told me about Juice Plus and wanted me to buy some and gave me the information with the website. I just sat there and looked at him...and thought this is weird. Did he call me in here for this???!!!! He really can't belong to one of those pyramid scheme things can he...??? A Dr??...Well, sure enough, it looks like he was/is. I of course didn't order any of it.
This Dr saw that I had MS and is trying to take advantage of someone with a chronic illness. It makes me sick!!! Luckily I am an educated person in regards to my illness and these types of things. He actually poked jabs at my MS Dr and said most of these specialists are only concerned with getting you on pharm drugs. I think it is important for Dr's to make their patients aware of the benefits of being healthy and taking vitamins, but to me this crossed the line. He saw my report from my last MRI come across his desk...noticed I had MS and probably got excited about making a few bucks. Is this even legal??!!!!
JPRB Reply
Thanks for writing Josie. We most definitely find the story interesting. There is no question that the physician’s actions were highly unethical. As to the legal ramifications, if he contacted you after looking at your test results or patient information without your consent, then it would in all likelihood be a legal violation. It would also be illegal if the physician is a Juice Plus distributor and made claims implying that Juice Plus could cure or treat MS or its symptoms.
We suggest that you report the incident immediately to the American Medical Association and your state medical board. A call to the Office of the Inspector General and your State Attorney might not be a bad idea either. You may also wish to let your regular MS specialist know that this other physician was bad mouthing him and pushing Juice Plus on you. It might help if an incident like this were to come up again with one of your regular doctor's patients.
It would also be helpful if you could provide us with the physician's name so that others can be warned of their predatory and unethical behavior. We will be happy to followup by researching the background of this physician and we can offer our assistance if you wish to file a complaint.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Readers Respond (August 27, 2008)
From MagMcA (August 27, 2008)
We have been on JP since 1994 -- and distributors soon thereafter to keep our cost down -- hubby is a chiropractor so we sold a bit to patients -- but we're not the MLM type --- it's a turn off to us so we were low key and made very little off it -- just liked what we thought was a great concept to augment our diets -- we have 6 kids -- so it was used to bridge the gap between how we do eat and how we should eat ....or so we thought.
Well...I feel lied to and cheated -- and I feel sick to my stomach about selling it to anyone. I have cancelled my autoship orders and am trying to formulate a letter to customers and friends and patients that have bought JP from us. The deciding factor is that for the cost, the benefit is not significant enough to warrant our continued association with the company. I feel like we are not getting what we thought we were getting. We have discovered that the whole food concentrate is just too small a component of the total capsule. There are added vitamins -- I can get them in my multi for a better cost, and in quantities that I trust, from a source I can rely upon.
Sincerely,
Mrs M
P.S. Have you seen any letters from distributors/doctors to their customers about the revelations that have led to our decision? I need a hand here! I'd like them to cancel their orders and resolve to eat the real thing -- exercise, drink enough water, get good sleep, manage stress and maintain a healthy weight...take a multivitamin/mineral if they want to and be happy!
JPRB Reply
We feel for you. What you are planning surely won’t be easy, but it is a noble and responsible course of action. We don’t know of any other distributors who have issued a letter of this kind to their customers. Perhaps you will be the first to do so. If you need any help drafting a letter to you clientele, just let us know and we will be happy to give you our input. And we can post it here as a resource for others who may be wish to follow suit.
We have been on JP since 1994 -- and distributors soon thereafter to keep our cost down -- hubby is a chiropractor so we sold a bit to patients -- but we're not the MLM type --- it's a turn off to us so we were low key and made very little off it -- just liked what we thought was a great concept to augment our diets -- we have 6 kids -- so it was used to bridge the gap between how we do eat and how we should eat ....or so we thought.
Well...I feel lied to and cheated -- and I feel sick to my stomach about selling it to anyone. I have cancelled my autoship orders and am trying to formulate a letter to customers and friends and patients that have bought JP from us. The deciding factor is that for the cost, the benefit is not significant enough to warrant our continued association with the company. I feel like we are not getting what we thought we were getting. We have discovered that the whole food concentrate is just too small a component of the total capsule. There are added vitamins -- I can get them in my multi for a better cost, and in quantities that I trust, from a source I can rely upon.
Sincerely,
Mrs M
P.S. Have you seen any letters from distributors/doctors to their customers about the revelations that have led to our decision? I need a hand here! I'd like them to cancel their orders and resolve to eat the real thing -- exercise, drink enough water, get good sleep, manage stress and maintain a healthy weight...take a multivitamin/mineral if they want to and be happy!
JPRB Reply
We feel for you. What you are planning surely won’t be easy, but it is a noble and responsible course of action. We don’t know of any other distributors who have issued a letter of this kind to their customers. Perhaps you will be the first to do so. If you need any help drafting a letter to you clientele, just let us know and we will be happy to give you our input. And we can post it here as a resource for others who may be wish to follow suit.
