Have you heard of Juice Plus? In the word of supplements, Juice Plus (also called Juice Plus +) is often classified as a whole food supplement. Basically Juice Plus contains the extracts of 17 different fruits and vegetables in capsule form – minus the fiber and water. This is the flagship supplement. Another product, Juice Plus Vineyard Blend, contains extracts of grapes and berries. Because of its lack of fiber and water, a better definition of Juice Plus might be a food extract supplement or phytonutrient supplement. Regardless of what you call it, Juice Plus is intriguing for a couple of reasons. 1. It has a simple approach to nutrition that I personally like; no stimulants or fancy ingredients, just extracts of common fruits and vegetables. 2. There are currently there are over 10 studies on Juice Plus appearing in peer reviewed journals. That makes Juice Plus different from most other similar products.
Let’s review the research on Juice Plus in an unbiased way. That way you can make an informed decision about whether Juice Plus is right for you.
I have also answered several questions about Juice Plus including Juice Plus side effects. This is definitely something you want to read as well.
Juice Plus Research
As I see it, the Juice Plus research can be grouped into the following categories:
- Juice Plus and heart disease research
- Juice Plus and exercise research
- Juice plus and immune system research
- Juice Plus and antioxidant research
Juice Plus and heart disease research
While no study has yet shown that Juice Plus reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes or the development of heart disease, there have been some intriguing findings which suggest Juice Plus may have some positive disease modifying effects.
A few early and small studies like those of Wise and associates (1996) found that Juice Plus supplementation can lead to increase in various vitamins and antioxidants like folic acid, vitamin E and phytonutrients like B carotene and lutein. While far from conclusive, in theory this might play a role in reducing heart disease and other health problems.
In 2007 Houston and associates tested Juice Plus (and Juice Plus Vineyard Blend) to see if it slowed the progression of heart disease by measuring its effect on blood pressure and calcium in coronary arteries. Doctors sometimes measure the amount of calcium in coronary arteries as an indicator of heart disease progression.
The people in the Juice Plus coronary calcium study were 51 men and women with high blood pressure and pre-high blood pressure. People were given Juice Plus and followed for 2 years.
Results showed that those who received Juice Plus had:
- lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures
- reduced homocystine
- slower increase in coronary calcium
In theory, this appears to show Juice Plus helps slow some aspects in the development of heart disease. One problem with this study however was the lack of a placebo group.
Interestingly hemoglobin A1C –a marker of diabetes progression – also decreased significantly. That is good. Ironically, bad cholesterol (LDL), increased slightly, but significantly. That’s not good.
For some time it has been known that eating a high fat meal causes vasoconstriction (closing up) of blood vessels. In a study published by Plotnick and associates in 2003, researchers looked at the effect of Juice Plus and blood vessel health after people ate a high fat meal.
This study consisted of 38 healthy people were split into the following groups:
- Juice plus only group
- Juice plus + vineyard blend (Vineyard Blend contains grape and berry extracts)
- Placebo group
After 4 weeks, those taking either Juice Plus alone or Juice Plus and the Vineyard Blend had less vasoconstriction after eating a high fat meal, compared to people who took a placebo.
We also know that oatmeal can cause vasodilation of blood vessels. It would be interesting to see Juice Plus and oatmeal tested head to head to see which vasodilates blood vessels the most.
The study by Plotnick also noticed Juice Plus promoted a very modest (but significant) reduction in cholesterol levels after 4 weeks (cholesterol changed from 184 to 172).
Interestingly no change in cholesterol as seen in those who took both Juice Plus as well as the Vineyard Blend (cholesterol was 185 at baseline and182 after 4 weeks).
In my own very unscientific “study” many years ago, I noticed Juice Plus alone (no Vineyard Blend) reduced cholesterol from 260 to 220 after one month. My test subject was in a friend with chronically high cholesterol levels. If Juice Plus lowers cholesterol, the effect is likely variable and would probably be most noticed in those with high cholesterol.
The gas, nitric oxide (NO) causes vasodilation (opening up of blood vessels). While the study by Plotnick did not directly measure NO levels, it did find that metabolites of nitric oxide increased after Juice Plus and Vineyard Blend supplementation.
In theory, this may indicate that Juice Plus raises NO levels. That said, it is noteworthy that the researchers stated that “There was no significant correlation between the increase in these (nitric oxide) metabolites levels and the change in vasodilation.
In other words, even though metabolites of NO increased, it appeared to play no significant role in vasodilation of blood vessels. I am not aware of any study showing the Juice Plus raises nitric oxide levels. Since vasodilation did appear to occur after taking Juice Plus, it might be that Juice Plus worked through another cellular pathway.
Keep in mind that the positive effect of Juice plus on blood vessel health was seen even when the Vineyard Blend was not taken.
Homocysteine is a chemical that damages blood vessels and makes blood sticky. As such, homocysteine has been implicated to be either a sign or symptom of heart disease. In 2003 a study of Juice Plus and homocysteine was published the Journal of Nutrition.
In this study, 32 men (both smokers and non smokers) were randomly assigned to either a group which received Juice Plus or a group which received a placebo. Blood samples were taken at regular intervals.
At the end of the study Juice Plus reduced homocysteine levels and raised levels of B vitamins and beta carotene. In theory, the lowering homocysteine may mean a lower risk of heart disease.
However, this study has been criticized by other researchers, which puts its conclusions in doubt.
It is also interesting that the Juice Plus study by Plotnick (2003) did not find the supplement lowered homocysteine.
This is contrasted by the results of Panunzioa and associates (2003) who demonstrated that Juice Plus lowered homocysteine levels when they studied 26 people for 4 weeks.
Later, in 2007 Kawashima and colleagues studied juice plus in 60 Japanese people for 4 weeks. They likewise noticed Juice Plus lowered homocystine as well as reducing markers of free radical damage.
Remember, homocystine lowering is controversial when it comes to heart disease. For example, some research finds that lowering homocysteine with folic acid does not reduce the risk heart disease.
Juice Plus has more than folic acid but studies like this remind us that heart disease is a complex issue.
Juice Plus and exercise research
In a Juice Plus exercise study Bloomer and associates (2006) tested juice plus in 48 healthy men and women. All people exercised at least 3 times per week and no one took any antioxidant supplements for at least 6 months. People were split into the following groups:
- Control group (placebo)
- Juice Plus group
- Vitamin group (400 IU vitamin E + 1000 mg vitamin C)
The Juice Plus group received 1 fruit capsule, 1 veggie capsule and 1 Vineyard Blend capsule twice a day (total of 6 capsules per day).
People performed 3 exercise treadmill testes at 80% of their maximum aerobic ability.
- 1 test before supplementation
- 1 test after 2 weeks of supplementation
- 1 test after a week of no supplementation
Results. Both vitamin use and Juice Plus resulted in “modest” suppression of protein breakdown during exercise after 2 weeks. This is good because we dont want our muscles being digested for energy during exercise.
Neither Juice Plus or vitamin supplementation reduced levels of MDA (malondialdehyde) an indicator of oxidative (free radical) stress. This is ironic since Juice Plus has antioxidants which should reduce free radical stress.
Researchers also noted that neither the vitamin or Juice Plus supplementation altered aerobic performance or decreased how hard exercise felt.
In this study, I would have liked to see a group that did not take Vineyard Blend. It is hard to tell what effect, if any, the Vineyard Blend contributed to the results. Also read Juice Plus Questions and Answers for more on my thoughts about the Vineyard Blend.
In another exercise study, Lamprecht et al (2007) performed a 28 week investigation of Juice Plus in 41 police officers.
The researchers noted that those getting Juice Plus had fewer sick days (108 vs. 134) over the 28 week period. This difference was not “significant”.
Even though this was scientifically “not significant” it was 26 fewer sick days.
A confusing part of this study concerned tumor necrosis factor (TNF). TNF is a chemical the body’s immune cells make. It can destroy cancer and it also increases inflammation. The Lamprecht study noted that TNF increased for the first 8 weeks of the study and then decreased (in both Juice Plus and placebo groups) for the remaining 20 weeks of the study.
While TNF decreased in both Juice plus and placebo groups – it decreased much more in the Juice Plus group. Previous research has shown that long term exercise can decrease TNF.
As such, long term use of Juice Plus could be seen as something that might reduce TNF a little more than exercise alone. But, any statement that Juice Plus is the cause of TNF reduction during exercise is not based in fact.
TNF arthritis and Juice Plus? An increase in TNF is also associated with rheumatoid arthritis. In fact some rheumatoid arthritis drugs work by blocking TNF. In the Lamprecht study, those getting Juice Plus had a greater increase in TNF for the first 4 weeks than people getting a placebo.
Would Juice Plus make arthritis or other autoimmune disorders worse during the first month of use? I do not know. I am not aware of any Juice Plus study that looked at TNF and pain levels in people with arthritis.
Even though Juice plus has several studies that show it has very few side effects, it has not been rigorously tested in people who have health conditions. Also read Juice Plus side effects for more insights.
Juice Plus and immunity research
So far I could only locate 2 studies of Juice Plus and immunity. The immune system research is an area I would like more effort devoted to.
Nantz and associates in 2006 tested Juice Plus in 59 healthy law students (21-53 years of age) for 77 days. Blood tests showed a 30% increase in T cells and a 40% reduction in DNA damage in lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) in those who took Juice Plus.
Inserra and colleagues (1999) tested Juice Plus in 53 older smokers and non smokers for 80 days. They noted that Juice Plus increased the activity of Natural killer cells (NK cells) as well as Interleukin 2 levels.
Overall, the research on Juice Plus is interesting. I see more research on Juice Plus than on any other similar supplement. For a better understanding I suggest getting a full blood test before starting Juice Plus and then again after a few months to compare the results.
What do you think?
{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Joe,
Thanks for writing an indepth, unbiased review.
I didn’t know that oatmeal had a vasodilating effect. I eat it at least 2 or 3 times a week and take the Juice Plus.
My total cholesterol went from 171 to 148, LDL – 71 to 49, and triglycerides from 53 to 30. I wasn’t purposely trying to reduce my lipids so the span of time between the blood work was about 20 months.
Judy
Hi Judy
yes oatmeal seems to have a similar effect on blood vessel vasodialation as Juice Plus. which one is better juice plus or oatmeal, I don’t know.
here is a study on oatmeal after eating a high fat meal http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11165454
It sounds like your lipids changed very well. was that from Juice plus or just oatmeal?
Thanks. Unscientifically, I would be inclined to say the Juice Plus only because I don’t eat the oatmeal every day and had been taking it prior to starting Juice Plus, whereas, I had been taking JP consistently since the end of 2008. My lipids were taken initially in March 2009 and then Dec. 2010.
Thanks for the excellent review! The similarity in vasodilating effect to oatmeal is interesting. Juice Plus seems to have a lot of positive characteristics. Thanks again!
Thanks Doug, Ive been wanting to review Juice Plus for a while. I agree, its an interesting supplement and I am looking forward to their further upcoming research.
Thank you for the review. However, your comment about significance re: the sick day study is potentially misleading. The use of the term “significance” in scientific studies is not in reference to the magnitude of the difference, but to the likelihood that we are seeing a real causal effect at work.
If a difference is not found to be “significant,” that doesn’t mean that the magnitude of the difference isn’t important in the real world; it means that we cannot say with any degree of certainty that the difference, regardless of how small or large it is, wasn’t due to happenstance rather than a real causal effect.
In other words: if your results aren’t “significant,” that means you have no basis on which to make the claim that your results were anything but dumb luck.
Once again, thanks for the round-up.
Christine, thanks and I do agree with you (one of the few things I remember from statistics). While the result of fewer sick days was found to be not significant, if proven (in other studies) then that would be something to consider when thinking about Juice Plus. I’m currently not aware of any other studies finding this however.
Basically, I was trying to be as far as possible when reporting the Juice Plus studies.
I appreciate you taking the time to write!
I’ve had many try to sell me Juice Plus even a “wellness” doctor. Save your money and just eat the proper foods and you should be fine. Eating whole fruits and vegetables always has to be better and you get the fiber and vitamins.
Lily,
Just a quick question for you: where do you think vitamins come from?
Vitamins come from fruits and vegetables but the bonus w/ eating fruits and veg is that you get vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals / nutrients, enzymes all working in synergy together.
So to say “Eating whole fruits and veg always has to be better and you get fiber and vitamins” is OH SO TRUE!
But just know that Juice Plus is fruits and veg so you get the vitamins your body needs, therefore eliminating the need for an isolated, sythetic, mega-dose OTC vitamin.
I hope that makes sense to you
Also, the 27 fruits, veg, berries found in juice plus are not readily available to us so saying that you will just eat fruits and veg and call it a day is not good enough.
1 cup of spinach in 1940 is now equal to 60 cups. Fruits and veg are just not grown the same way they used to be and it is a very sad truth that is effecting our nation in a horrible way.
So this is why your “wellness” doctor recommended Juice Plus b/c he is very concerned about your “wellness”.
The research does not lie – Juice Plus is the real deal and I thank God everyday that I was introduced to it 3 years ago and I’ll never go a day w/out it, nor my children.
Amy, can you give me a reference for your claim that it takes 60 cups of spinach today to equal the nutrition of 1 cup of spinach in the 1940s?
Also, while juice plus does come fruits and veggies, it does not have much fiber so its good to use it as a “supplement” and not in place of eating fruits and veggies. just had to point that out
Amy, I’m confused about the 27 fruits, vegetables, and berries and didn’t know if you intended to write 17 fruits, vegetables, and grains as per the Juice Plus website.
I have the excerpts from our newest research o Juice Plus+ if you want them Joe. I so appreciate your honest opinion in all your articles/blogs.
If you want the hard copies. I will happily send them to you or anyone who wants them.
Just know that early on we did not know what we had when Juice Plus came onto the market. Customers and reps were making all kinds of health claims that our company could not explain. So that is what started the all research. We had to find out why all these people were seeing and feeling such great results. So the old research had not been perfected yet. Not Gold standard that is. Now its Gold Standard and Peer reviewed.
We share with people that Juice Plus+ is not “the miracle pill” you still have to eat fresh fruits,veggies, drink enough water, exercise, reduce your stress and so on. Juice Plus+ is just part of the life puzzle to build with consistently without breaking the bank. Just like maintaining your car. Make today a great day, Kim
Kim, is the new research published yet? If yes I’d love to read it and add it to my review. I also reviewed Juice Plus research in my book on supplements. This review is an extension of what I wrote there.
Kim, are you referring to the newest published studies in Germany http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7948498 and North Carolina http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20689455 or the research that Dr. Mitra Ray referenced in her webinar, which has not yet been published? http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/24/1_MeetingAbstracts/lb338?maxtosh
I am a distributor and would like to know.
Thanks,
Judy
It’s frustrating to hear professionals say “just eat well”. That’s great if you have a normal job, no kids, no nothing. But I work 14-18 hours a day and hardly have time to clean house, much less take time to prepare food and eat it. I’ve read your reviews on Shakeology and Juice Plus. I am a healthy 58 year old female. Would you suggest Juice Plus over Shakeology?
Willie, I understand. working as many hours as you can make eating well challenging.
Between juice plus and Shakeology, I would pick juice plus because there is research that it probably does some good things. Shakeology might do some good things also but since Beachbody has not published any research, I can’t know for sure. For me, Id rather go with something that I at least have some proof of.
And Shakeology is a lot more expensive! While it is often hard to eat well, Juice Plus or any other product is not a substitute for fruits and vegetables. I take Juice Plus with a meal everyday to fill in the gaps.
Yes that’s true too $119 vs $41 per month if I remember.
You’re probably also familiar with the Juice Plus Complete, which runs $27.75 per month, but one can amounts to 15 servings. The Complete is made with tofu and chickpea powder, rice protein, fiber, some of the fruits and vegetables of the capsules, and is available in vanilla or chocolate. The biggest drawback in my opinion, is the sugar, which includes contains fructose, maltodextrin, and sugar. I have suggested they consider reducing the sugar or using stevia.
Thank you for all this information. I am looking forward to getting started on Juice Plus. My husband has very high triglycerides and high blood pressure both which he is currently on medication for. At his next doctor appointment, I am going to have them do all the blood work so I can show him the benefits of Juice Plus. He is a little skeptical.
On another note, does anyone know about any study or even just information on Juice Plus and pregnancy? Thanks again.
Regina,
Juice Plus and pregnancy has been something I’ve been wondering myself about for a long time. I know they have been working on a study for many years but dont know why its taken so long to get out.
Preliminary unpublished evidence hints that woman who use juice plus have lower rates of preeclampsia. I’ve been looking forward to reading this study but have no idea when it will be released.
Please do let me know how / if your husbands triglycerides, blood pressure ect change after hes been using juice plus for a few months. I’m very interested to learn how it helped him.
Joe: Dr Odom in Mississippi did an informal pregnancy study that so impressed the nutrition world that it is being “recreated” as a clinical study as we speak. Look at Dr Doug Odom’s research at his website. I believe all 19 of the completed studies are available at the JuicePlus.com site.
JE, yes I’ve see Dr Odom present his informal work on JP and pregnancy. The last time I saw him talking about it, it was over 6 years ago. A study like what he is trying to do should not take 6 years so I keep wondering what the hold up is?
Je,
I’m a distributor, and I’m wondering the same thing myself. I see it listed on the website as Clinical Research underway.
Joe,
You may have already seen this, but the “informal” retrospective study conducted by Dr. Odom is reported in in the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association, 9(1)2006 with his findings presented in Oct. 2003 at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Central Association of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
http://www.ana-jana.org/Journal/journals/ACF587.pdf It refers to a prospective, randomized clinical study being conducted, but doesn’t indicate when this research began. I emailed someone in JP Marketing for information on the status. I’ll let you know what I find out.
As always Joe…….great job! Unbiased, research driven.
Judy, yes let me know if you find out anything.
Thanks Jim!
Hey Joe, So interesting to read everyone else’s blogs. In reading all the info, our research does speak for itself in my opinion. Yes, I have been and still am a loyal rep with NSA for 10 years. I have over 100 healthy clients and 100+ WORKING reps. If Juice Plus+ was not significant in the market place, I could not claim this & I would have moved on years ago. If you knew me and the people that work @ NSA, you would know that we/they are not making huge, cure all claims at all. People all over the world certainly would not be spending this kind of $ researching it. Just order it from my website and see what it does for you in 4 months, you decide. JP+ is just food, your body is the miracle. We decided JP+ was the right product for us over 15 yrs ago with no research at all. Make today and everyday a pay it forward day, Kim
Kim, yes JP has been around a long time and it does have more studies relative to other products I’ve seen. If you ever hear about the pregnancy study Id like to read it. As you know they have been talking about it for almost as many years as you have been with NSA.
Hi Joe, Just so you know, when you send people to the public website for Juice Plus+, the leads may not go to a working distributor per say, we/NSA really take pride in our customer service. Sometimes the leads go to people who are just buying for a discount and are NOT trained in customer care. Just an FYI in case you get any comments about our customer care. Those of us who are doing this for a career like I am, love taking care of our clients and our distributors. Actually, the majority of them are my best friends now. Distributor/Corporate websites are identical.
This is just for your information only, no need to post it.
Kim
Hi Joe, I will send it to you and anyone else who wants it as soon as I get it. We are getting close. Our Fall conference is in Oct. Updates will be also be on my website http://www.SeeYourSelfHealthy.com when they post it. The excerpt will have more info in it then the post will. No worries you are happily on my radar with a quite few others. So exciting. Kim
Can you please tell me the source of the info that 1 cup of spinach in 1940 is now equal to 60 cups.
Thank you!
Can you please tell me the comparisons of Juice Plus vs. Juice Festiv (as sold at Sams Club and Costco, other than cost)?
Shelly, Good question. I looked up Juice Festiv for you (I had not heard of them before today). From what I saw (and the reviews on Amazon) they seem OK. As I understand it Juice Plus was the first whole food supplement. I think the one thing that separates Juice Plus from all the other food supplements out there is that, as far as I can tell only Juice Plus has supported research on their product and gotten the research published in science/medical journals. For me, that says a lot, even though I do have some questions about the research. I don’t think there is any research on Juice Festiv (I could be wrong)/ That said, if Juice Festiv is a quality made product -and I don’t have any reason at this time to think its not – then it might be almost as good if not as good as Juice Plus.
Does anybody else want to chime in on this?
Couple of comments on Juice Plus, I am a distributor. We have a new formulation of the Complete Shake that has only 8 grams of sugar from organic sugar cane, monk fruit, stevia and other plant sources. Protein is 11 grams, 7 grams fiber. Carbs are healthy coming from slow releasing, low-glycemic index carbohydrates include quinoa, amaranth, and millet.
Regarding the difference of Juice Festiv vs. Juice Plus. There are different fruits in the Juice Festiv than what are in Juice Plus. There may also be different vegetables too. One major difference is as far as I know they have no research to back up what Juice Festiv does for your body. I guess they can throw a bunch of fruits and vegetables together, but Juice Festiv is not Juice Plus nor should it ever be compared to Juice Plus.
Eileen I actually have the new version of Juice plus complete and will be writing a review on it soon
I found your review to be very helpful and informative. I recently heard about Juice Plus. I have been taking Natural Vitality Organic Life liquid vitamins which alleges to be a whole-food based blend of 24 organic veggies, superfruits and fruits along with a host of mineral and vitamins. Are you familiar with this product? I would like to know which would be a better choice. Probably no research on Organic Life? Thank you!
Deborah, I have not heard of it but since its a liquid Im guessing it doesn’t have a lot of fiber. Do you feel any different taking it? how much does it cost? No matter what you use – natures vitality, juice plus or anything remember that you still have to eat fruits/veggies. thats why I like the homeade shake that I make. I think all fruits are super fruits / super foods – same goes for vegetables also. There isn’t one fruit or vegetable that stands out as “better” than the others.
Hi Deb, I agree with Joe, If you feel better on that product take it. I am a rep for Juice Plus+10 years now, cust for 15 years.
I would be happy to talk to you when you want more information on your diet and Juice Plus+. There is a Fact page on my website as well.
All liquids have to be pasteurized as well. So I am not sure what you are taking is live food. Juice Plus is in power form, gummi form, so no worries about contamination, its just food in a concentrated form. NSF certified,gluten free and Kosher as well.
Hey Joe, New research is coming our all the time. Pregnancy one is ocming out soon. Let me know if you want a certain study. I can send it to you or anyone that wants it. My website has the updated ones. I can sent you the hard copy if you or anyone else wants it.
As for the Complete, my athletes love it. nice change from the Whey they have been taking. My trainers love it as well. More fibers and more ancient grains it now. Even my Dr’s are raving about it. Customers love it too! Happy Monday Joe. Kim
Thanks Kim Ive been waiting for the Juice Plus pregnancy / preeclampsia study for MANY years so let me know when it and others come out
Hey Kim. I took out your cell # from your reply so you would not get calls at 2AM from people selling time shares etc. There are “robots” that crawl the web looking for emails and phone #s so they can add you to all sorts of crazy lists.
I have some complete here Kim. Hope to get a review out on it by next week
Thanks for taking care of me. I forget about all that creepy stuff on the internet. I give my info out so much I forget.
No problem kim
I am so glad I came across your reviews of Juice Plus+ and Shakeology. I’ve been hearing alot about Shakeology lately and became very curious what exactly is in it. I have been a JP customer for almost 8 years now. I LOVE IT!!!! I was never a healthy eater until I was introduced to JP. I went to a seminar and had the pleasure of hearing the creator of JP+ speak. I was moved to change my horrible eating habits. I started on JP and an organic/all natural diet.
I stopped drinking soda all day long and started drinking a ton of water. Within 6 months I had lost weight (without strenuous exercise), started eating foods I would have never touched before. I also noticed a difference in other ways: my skin was clearer and had a healthy glow, I was no longer using my inhaler as much as in the past with allergies and during/after exercise and my female problems were no longer. And I felt great way more energy without having to consume a ton of caffeine.
Its amazing what eating healthy can do for you. I would have never consumed the daily amounts of fruits and veggies recommended if it was not for JP. I love knowing that if I eat no fruit or veggie in a day but take my JP I am still getting something nutritional. From what I’ve read above the research on pregnancy and JP is not out yet? Is that correct.
When I found out I was pregnant in Dec of 2010 I immediately started taking an additional capsule of each everyday. My OBGYN was informed I was taking JP and how much and she said that was absolutely fine. I never had any concerns/complications in my pregnancy and my son arrived healthy and happy 10 days after my due date by Csection at a whopping 9lbs 2oz, 22inches. He is still a happy and healthy lil man and a healthy eater. I’m actually asking his Pediatrician at this months appt. if I could sprinkle a lil on his baby food.
From what I’ve found and read on Shakeology, I wouldn’t drink it. Here’s why: 1. No research behind it. 2. Ecdysterone- naturally occurring but added to the NFL list of Banned substances.
Claire, congrats on your healthy baby! About the Juice Plus pregnancy research, as far as I know its still going on. Ive been waiting for it for several years (I think its Dr Odom who is doing it). If I remember right, the very preliminary /non peer reviewed research showed lower rates of pre-eclampsia in women who were taking Juice Plus. When that study comes out I will update my review with its outcomes.
I’m very glad to hear that JP lead to you eating better and weight loss too
I started taking JP 13 days ago, having bought a 4-month plan from a friend. I did so to be supportive, not because I thought it would do anything at all. This week my morning blood sugar readings plummeted from over 250 almost every day to under 180.
I have to mention that after suffering for several years with almost debilitating knee pain, I finally saw an orthopedist who gave me cortisone shots 10 days ago. I’ve been almost pain-free since then.
I can’t say for certain whether my lowered blood sugar is due to pain relief or JP, but I’m encouraged. I guess I’ll know when the cortisone eventually wears off. All I know is that I feel great!
Dee, glad your blood sugar has decreased! I’ve never seen anything in the JP research on blood sugar but I’ll take it
(Hey Juice Plus / NSA have you ever considered a JP blood sugar study?). Do you know what your A1c level is?
I’m guessing its the cortisone shot that decreased your knee pain. If you have diabetes or pre-diabetes then I hope you use this pain free time to do some genital walking or recumbent biking or water exercise as this will help strengthen the muscles that support your knee joints so they might hurt less in the future. If you do have diabetes, here is an interview I did with a woman who used to be a diabetic http://www.joe-cannon.com/interview-yolanda-bowles-diabetes-exercise-nutrition-cure-type-ii-diabetes/
Keep me posted on your blood sugar and knee pain!!
Juice Plus is utterly useless. It’s a placebo used as the entrance fee into an MLM pyramid scam that preys on people’s greed and gullibility. An unbiased review of the product and the company, as well as the research, can lead to no other conclusion.
A couple of Juice Plus capsules isn’t even equivalent to a single serving of fruit or vegetables. It’s roughly equivalent to eating a bite of an over-processed apple sprinkled with powdered vitamins (the product is in fact laced with added vitamins). You can’t defeat the laws of physics simply be dehydrating fruit/vegetables into powder.
I’m still not sold on it. I’ve had two doctors, a chiropractor and physical therapist basically say save my money and continue eating healthy and exercise.
If you changed your eating habits, stopped drinking soda etc, you would notice a difference as well..without JP.
I have taken Juice plus for almost 11 years. I started it because I had taken care of people for years and years but not myself. As a nurse, the science was important to me. It is published in medical journals of all types. I can locate it and read it myself. I will never be without it because of the positive changes.
There is even more published research today. The positive results I have seen in myself and many others could not have occurred without JP…or they would have. I know MANY physicians, chiropractors, PTs and OTs, nutritionists and others who get what JP is and take it them selves and yes recommend it. Some also sell it out of their office because they so believe in it.
Hi Joe, thanks so much for all of the informative discussion. Do you know much about CellFood vs. Cell Energy. Are these products worth considering on a daily basis, and are these particular products compatible in function. Thank you in advance for your time.
Sunflower, I apprecaite you sharing these products with me. Ive looked at the product website and I recommend you save your money. They say the product gives you ATP but when we eat ATP its broken up in the stomach. we dont absorb it as ATP. same goes for DNA and RNA. We make ATP, DNA and RNA. there is no need to consume them from food and there is no reason to believe that they are absorbed intake and even if they were, there is no proof that the eaten DNA or RNA would be used to rebuild your own DNA and RNA or ATP. Eat food. Food is better cell food and cell energy than that product. Of course thats just my opinion
I’m considering going on the JP+ supplements for my family. What I’d really love to know, is how many fruit/veggie servings does each day’s dose of supplements equal out to. I realize you are getting the variety from 17 different types, but how many servings does it actually amount to in comparison to the nutrition you would get from eating a whole piece of fruit per say? I realize it is still important to still eat who fruits and veggies too for the fibre, but if the supplement gives you the nutrition of say one serving, then it’s not really worth it, but if it works out to 6 or 7, well that’s great! Any insight on this (if I’m making and sense at all, lol)?
Cait, that is a very good question and Im not sure of the answer. Maybe on of the JP distributors reading this can answer your question?
Hello Cait and good day. Juice Plus+ provides the nutritional equivalent of 9-13 servings daily. Like you said its not a replacement just a solid insurances policy that you get every single day.
I appreciate your efforts in putting out an unbiased report/study. I am interested in trying this supplement, as I suffer form an auto-immune disorder that causes chronic pain etc. However, I find it interesting that all of say it is “unbiased” but are pulling information from studies sponsored/coordinated from the company itself.
I’d like to see some notes or captions of how funded/coordinated the studies you referenced. I have learned with my disease that many people, distributors etc., love to “leach” on to me and tell me about the new cure–but everything/facts they offer up are always one sided. I am leaning toward trying these supplements based on my own research and talks with unbiased dietitians, but have a hard time trusting some of the distributors. I find this especially so not with Juice Plus, but the new rage Vemma-their distributors are quick to sell any research, or “first hand testimonies” just to “cure me.”
I like JP does not do that, I truly think Vemma has a little evil up their sleeves despite potential health benefits. So Joe if you don’t mind clarifying your studies, who funded them etc., I would love to know more. But its hard to keep this unbiased with the distributors chiming in every two seconds, or you guys’ waiting on JP’s marketing/pr team to release “their” results…not exactly unbiased.
Joe, as I understand it, the research on juice plus has been sponsored by juice plus (NSA, the company that makes juice plus). As far as I can tell, they do not seem to have interfered with the statistics /conclusions of the research. But they have also been very careful in what they test. For example, as I mentioned in my review, I’d LOVE to see a direct comparison between Juice Plus and the Vineyard blend. The research so far subtly hints to me that the vineyard blend may not be worth it. Id also love to see that pre-eclampsia juice plus study that they have been dangling in front of me for about 8 years too!
As for Vemma, I could not find any research on vemma itself, just some research on its ingredients. here’s my review http://supplement-geek.com/vemma-review-mangostene-aloe-green-tea/
Hi Joe, thanks for all of the great work and study. Usually all you can find is well disguised sales pitch, but your info is non-biased and factually, so… good job!
I used to use JP a few years ago but never really noticed any remarkable difference. Although I wasn’t having any issues at the time either so who knows. I did however change my diet when my doctor wanted to put me on a statin drug for my cholesterol. I insisted on trying a diet and exercise change first. After just over three weeks, I dropped my cholesterol 45 points and my triglycerides 15.
The doc said I could skip the statins
Anyway, I think JP may be a good addition to a healthy diet and exercise but people shouldn’t rely on it to fulfill your bodies needs for vitamins and minerals etc. Fresh organics are the way to go. While on my diet, I went fresh vegetarian… I have since kinda slipped a but, but I try. That’s where JP would be a help I believe.
Anyway, keep up the research, we appreciate it!
Greg thanks I appreciate that and am VERY glad you got your blood levels under control
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