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Juice Plus is claimed to be a whole-food based product that provides the nutritional essence of fruits and vegetables in small capsules. Juice Plus+® is manufactured by (Natural Alternatives International (NAI; San Remo, CA) and is distributed by National Safety Associates (NSA) and claims, when added to a normal intake of fruits and vegetables, to be a sufficient supply of fruits and vegetables. Moreover, NSA claims that Juice Plus provides the nutritional essence of seven different fruits, eight different vegetables, and two grains in a convenient and inexpensive capsule. Juice Plus+® is distributed only through direct or multi-level marketing. Juice Plus+® has been the subject of several scientific studies and is available in several forms including: Juice Plus+ Orchard Blend® which is claimed to contain the essence of apples, oranges, pineapple, cranberries, peaches, acerola cherries, and papaya; Juice Plus+ Garden Blend® which is claimed to contain the essence of carrots, parsley, beets, kale, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, and barley and oat fibers; as well as Juice Plus+ gummies for children and supplements for dogs and cats.

Criticisms

While NSA maintains that a number of scientific studies establish scientific consensus for the efficacy of Juice Plus+®, a number of criticisms of Juice Plus+® exist from the scientific community. The most common criticism of the research performed is that the scientific research often claimed by the distributor does not establish a sufficiently strong causal connection for the stated benefits. Other critics focus on the economics which note that the pills are much more expensive than simply purchasing a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables. Most noted, critics claim that research does not establish that the essence of fruits and vegetables can be condensed into pill form. Also, critics claim that much of the scientific basis for Juice Plus+® is argued solely per an ad verecundiam argument, which is a logical fallacy which states that since an authority or Journal has done a study involving Juice Plus+®, then all marketing claims must be true.

Scientific Basis

Eight studies on Juice Plus+® have been published in peer-reviewed journals, all but one of which were paid for and/or co-written by the manufacturer. Only 3 of these studies were randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled. These studies showed weak, conflicting, and often negative results as to the absorption of nutrients in Juice Plus+®, its antioxidant effects, and its effects on homocysteine, LDL, and cholesterol levels. Other studies are now in progress.

External links

• Juice Plus home page (which provides research abstracts and the company's interpretation of the findings)
• Biography of Dr. Stephen Barrett (advocacy and criticism)
• A critique of Juice Plus+® from the Kansas State University Dept of Human Nutrition, (prepared by Fudeko T. Maruyama and adapted by Mary A. Clarke).
• A critique of Juice Plus+® from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
• "Juiced Up and Dried Out" - A critique by the University of California Berkeley
• Fruit and vegetable concentrate or vitamin supplement? J. Nutr. 2003;133:3725. A critique of Juice Plus research by Dr. Bernhard Watzl and Dr. Achim Bub of the Federal Research Centre for Nutrition, Karlsruhe, Germany.

• Business models
• Multi-level marketing