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Juice Plus+® is a branded line of nutritional supplements containing powdered fruit or vegetable juice extracts fortified with added vitamins and nutrients. Juice Plus is manufactured by Natural Alternatives International (NAI; San Marcos, CA) and is distributed by National Safety Associates (NSA; Collierville, TN) through independent distributors. Several versions of the product are marketed including Orchard Blend capsules (containing unknown amounts of powdered fruit juice extracts) and Garden Blend capsules (containing unknown amounts of powdered vegetable juice extracts), chewable and gummy candy supplements for children, and a version for dogs and cats.
Product Labeling
The Juice Plus Garden Blend bottle label contains the following information. The recommended daily serving size is 2 capsules (750 g each), which contain the following nutrients (as percentages of the U.S. recommended daily intake): vitamin A (as beta-carotene) 140%, calcium 4%, vitamin E 80%, vitamin C 70%, iron 2%, and folate 70%. A 2-capsule serving contains no fat or cholesterol, 10 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, and less than 1 g each of fiber and protein. The ingredients listed in descending order of amount (exact amounts not listed) are: vegetable juice powder and pulp from carrots, parsley, beets, kale, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and tomato; gelatin, lipase, amylase, protease, cellulase, beet fiber, barley bran, oat bran, cabbage fiber, glucomannan, plant cellulose, dried plant fiber, Lactobacillus acidophillus, vegetable-derived magnesium stearate, anthrocyanins, allicin, lycopene, polyphenol catechins, Dunaliella salina (algae), and indole carbinols.
The Juice Plus Orchard Blend bottle label contains the following information. The recommended daily serving size is 2 capsules (750 g each), which contain the following nutrients (as percentages of the U.S. recommended daily intake): vitamin A (as beta-carotene) 110%, calcium 2%, vitamin E 70%, vitamin C 320%, iron 2%, and folate 35%. A 2-capsule serving contains no fat or cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate (less than 1 g each of dietary fiber and sugars), and less than 1 g protein. The ingredients listed in descending order of amount (exact amounts not listed) are: fruit juice powder and pulp from apple, orange, pineapple, cranberry, peach, acerola cherry, and papaya; gelatin, bromelain, papain, lipase, amylase, protease, and cellulase; apple pectin, cirus pectin, date fiber, prune powder, glucomannan, citrus bioflavenoids, dried plant fiber, Lactobacillus acidophillus, vegetable-derived magnesium stearate, anthrocyanins, polyphenol catechins, Dunaliella salina (algae), and indole carbinols.
Two capsules per day of each of these products (4 capsules in total) constitute the usual daily regimen.
Research Overview
NSA, Incorporated, the makers of Juice Plus+®, is engaged in an ongoing program of independent, third-party clinical research designed to determine the efficacy of Juice Plus+® on three levels:
First, that Juice Plus+® actually contains “whole food” nutrition in amounts roughly comparable to that found in the foods themselves, while eliminating most of the sodium, sugar and calories;
Second, that the nutrition contained in Juice Plus+® is effectively delivered into the human bloodstream; and
Third, that the nutrition delivered by Juice Plus+® has a significant impact on disease-inhibiting functions of the body such as the immune system and DNA.
QUANTITATIVE LABORATORY ANALYSIS
METHODOLOGY
The nutritional contents of two Juice Plus+® capsules of each variety (Orchard Blend and Garden Blend) were quantified and then compared with eight-ounce portions of fruit and vegetable juices. First, the two types of Juice Plus+® capsules — “Garden Blend” and “Orchard Blend” — were assayed, employing highly sensitive analytical methods1 to quantify their exact element content, focusing on several “benchmark” nutritional components and groupings reported herein. Then, fresh-squeezed “juiced” juice made from fruits and vegetables contained in the Juice Plus+® formula were analyzed and tested for the same nutritional components, with results similarly quantified. Finally, the results of these two analyses (Juice Plus+® and fresh-squeezed juice) were compared to published nutritional data on commercial juices2. Each component or component group was compared in relative terms to Juice Plus+®. Juice Plus+® Orchard Blend and Garden Blend quantities were assigned a standard value of “1.00”, with each component/nutritive element in the other juices measured against this standard. The analysis was carried out to the 100th of 1% to ensure precision and accuracy.
In reporting the findings, the benchmark component/nutritive elements were placed in one of two groups. The first group (Group I) included those components deemed as being pre-ferred, such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes and food actives; while the second group (Group II) covered “non-preferred” components like sodium, sugar, and calories.3
RESULTS
Orchard Blend:
Juice Plus+® Orchard Blend had superior measurements when compared to commercial and fresh-squeezed juice in almost every component/nutritive element analyzed.
For example, comparing the Vitamin C content of eight ounces of commercial orange juice with two Juice Plus+® Orchard Blend capsules shows that even orange juice, an excellent single source of Vitamin C, contained only slightly more than half (54%) of the Vitamin C of Juice Plus+® Orchard Blend.
Analysis of all the commercial fruit juice data indicates that the level of several components in these juices — enzymes, food actives, and Vitamin E — were less than 1% of the level found in Juice Plus+®.
Juice Plus+® also “outperformed” fresh-squeezed juice overall. While the three components mentioned above — enzymes, food actives and Vitamin E — were present in greater amounts in fresh-squeezed juice than in commercial juices, they were still at levels 5 to 20 times lower than in Juice Plus+® Orchard Blend. All other components/nutritive elements analyzed in the fresh-squeezed juice were also below levels found in Juice Plus+® Orchard Blend, except for calcium, which was shown to be present in slightly greater amounts.
Garden Blend:
Juice Plus+® Garden Blend had superior measurements when compared to commercial and fresh-squeezed juice in most component/nutritive elements analyzed.
Similar to the Orchard Blend comparison, Juice Plus+® Garden Blend substantially “outperformed” all three commercial juices in terms of food enzymes, food actives, and Vitamin E, containing anywhere from 10 to 100+ times the amounts.
Juice Plus+® Garden Blend also contained more beta-carotene, folic acid, calcium and B vitamins than any of the commercial juices. Some of the commercial vegetable juices contained slightly more vitamin C and/or fiber than the Juice Plus+® vegetable product.
Compared to the fresh-squeezed vegetable juice, Juice Plus+® Garden Blend contained significantly more food enzymes, food actives, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E; and slightly more folic acid. The fresh-squeezed vegetable juice had slightly more beta-carotene, fiber, B vitamins and calcium.
Non-preferred Group II components sodium, sugar and calories were again present in juices in quantities significantly greater than in Juice Plus+® Garden Blend. Even “low sodium” tomato juice had a sodium content over 16 times greater than the amount found in the Juice Plus+® product.
SUMMARY:
In 63 of the 72 specific comparisons of Group I preferred components between Juice Plus+® and commercial and fresh-squeezed juices, Juice Plus+® contained higher to significantly higher levels of components/nutritive elements. In the nine other cases, Juice Plus+® provided only modestly (2%-37%) lower levels. As for Group II non-preferred components, Juice Plus+® contained significantly less sodium, less sugar, and fewer calories than the juices.
ADDITIONAL JUICE PLUS+® RESEARCH
As mentioned previously, this Quantitative Laboratory Analysis is part of a broader on-going research program to determine the efficacy of Juice Plus+®.
The next step in the Juice Plus+® research program was to demonstrate that the nutrition provided by Juice Plus+® (and quantified herein) is effectively delivered into the human bloodstream. Toward that end, NSA has commissioned a number of "bio-availability" studies measuring the presence of several key antioxidants in blood plasma after supplementation with Juice Plus+®. One such study (4) published in the journal Current Therapeutic Research (Volume 57, Number 6, pp. 445-461) concluded that:
“(Juice Plus+®) raises blood antioxidant levels into the ranges associated with reduced risk of disease. Test subjects showed significant increases in blood plasma levels of key antioxidants after only 28 days on Juice Plus+®.”
The third step in the Juice Plus+® research program is to demonstrate that the nutrition delivered by Juice Plus+® has a significant impact on disease-inhibiting functions of the body such as the immune system and DNA. Two new studies in this regard 5 were presented recently to the 38th Annual Conference of the American Society of Cell Biology. They concluded that:
“Supplementation with Juice Plus+® significantly improves major immune functions.” “Supplementation with Juice Plus+® significantly reduces DNA damage.”
Product Overview
A growing body of research suggests that consuming antioxidants and other nutrients in “whole food” form — especially from fresh fruits and vegetables — is more effective than taking specific, artificially isolated vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, either singularly or in combination. This appears to be particularly true in terms of helping reduce the risk of many degenerative diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Juice Plus+® is a whole food-based nutritional supplement containing nutrition from 17 different fruits, vegetables, and grains. The fruit and vegetable juice powders in Juice Plus+® capsules are made by juicing the 17 “whole foods” in the Juice Plus+® formula, then converting the juice to powder under carefully controlled temperature and other conditions in order to maintain as much of the original “whole food” nutrition as possible, while eliminating most of the sodium, sugar and calories. Juice Plus+® “Orchard Blend” capsules are made from 7 different fruits (apples, oranges, pineapples, cranberries, peaches, acerola cherries and papaya). Juice Plus+® “Garden Blend” capsules are made from 10 different vegetables and grains (carrots, spinach, broccoli, kale, cabbage, parsley, beets, tomatoes, oats and barley). A recommended daily adult level of Juice Plus+® supplementation is two “Orchard Blend” capsules in the morning and two “Garden Blend” capsules in the afternoon or evening, each taken with at least 8 ounces of water.
Criticisms
While NSA maintains that the published studies establish the efficacy of Juice Plus, other sources have argued that the research is flawed and that claims made about the product have been overly vague, misleading, or innacurate. In 2003, Dr. Bernhard Watzl and Dr. Achim Bub of the Federal Research Centre for Nutrition in Karlsruhe, Germany, published a critical commentary in response to a Juice Plus study by Dr. Samir Samman and colleagues (J Nutr 2003; 133:2188-93), claiming that Juice Plus contained at least 4 nutrients (beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folate) that were added to the plant powders to restore nutrients lost during processing. This claim was acknowledged by Dr. Samman in a published reply (J Nutr. 2003;133:3726.), and it suggested that any of the potential benefits of Juice Plus could be attributed to the spiked nutrients rather than to those that may have been present in the original plant sources. Similarly, Dr. Jane Freedman of Boston University School of Medicine published a critical commentary (J Am Coll Cardiol 2003;41:1750-2) regarding a Juice Plus study by Dr. Gary Plotnick and associates (Ibid; p. 1744–9), which raised concerns about the reliability of that study's results and conclusions.
Several of the studies on Juice Plus showed poor results with regard to (a) the content and absorption of several key nutrients and antioxidants, (b) antioxidant effects, and (c) effects on homocysteine, LDL, and cholesterol levels. Other studies are in progress but have not been published.
A 2003 placebo-controlled study Dr. R.J. Stewart and colleagues (J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102:1652-7) from the University of Utah, showed that vitamin-fortified Juice Plus Gummie candies did not significantly improve the antioxidant status of subjects, according to the results of 6 different antioxidant tests. The authors stated “It is possible that the supplement did not contain enough of the proper antioxidants to make a significant difference or that the antioxidants extracted in the fruit/vegetable extract were not biologically available”. They also showed that the product consisted mainly of 2 ingredients: corn syrup (85%) and beef gelatin (10%).
Critics also claim that much of the scientific basis for Juice Plus is argued solely per an ad verecundiam argument; 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.
Product Claims and Counterclaims
Claim: Juice Plus is “the next best thing to eating fruits and vegetables”.
Counterclaim: According to Consumer Reports, the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division said in April 2005 that NSA advertising featuring Dr. William Sears misleadingly implied that Juice Plus Gummies are low in sugar and are a nutritional alternative to fruits and vegetables. NSA had allegedly promised to modify its ads and stop calling Gummies “the next best thing to fruits and vegetables”, but continues to use this claim to describe Juice Plus on the product website.
Claim: Juice Plus contains a far wider variety of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals than traditional vitamin supplements, and also the antioxidants/phytonutrients and fiber found in fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.
Counterclaim: There is no evidence to support the claim that Juice Plus contains a far wider variety of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals than traditional vitamin supplements, or a significant number or amount of the antioxidants, phytonutrients, and fiber found in fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. The product label indicates that Juice Plus contains certified amounts of only 6 nutrients and very small amounts of fiber (less than 1 g).
Claim: Four daily Juice Plus capsules provide the vitamin C of four oranges
Counterclaim: According to a March 2002 report by Environmental Nutrition “Independent analysis of the product’s nutrient content is curious and contradictory, showing nowhere near the amount of vitamin C as in four oranges, as the product claims, for example. Moreover, there's no way the fiber is retained, an important benefit of fruits and vegetables. Not surprisingly, Juice Plus doesn’t come cheap—about $450 a year.”
Claim: Juice Plus is “the” simple, convenient, and inexpensive way to add more nutrition from fruits and vegetables to the diet.
Counterclaim: Some critics have stated that Juice Plus is more expensive (as well as less effective) than simply purchasing a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables.
External links
Product Homepage
- Juice Plus+® homepage Provides product promtional information and excerpted research abstracts.
Full-text Research Available Online
- Effect of supplemental phytonutrients on impairment of the flow-mediated brachial artery vasoactivity after a single high-fat meal. Company sponsored research.
- A mixed fruit and vegetable concentrate increases plasma antioxidant vitamins and folate and lowers plasma homocysteine in men. Company sponsored research.
Critical Commentary in Peer-Reviewed Journals
- Fruit and vegetable concentrate or vitamin supplement? A critique of Juice Plus research by Dr. Bernhard Watzl and Dr. Achim Bub of the Federal Research Centre for Nutrition, Karlsruhe, Germany.
- High-fat diets and cardiovascular disease. Are nutritional supplements useful? A critique of Plotnick et al (2003) by Dr. Jane Freedman, Boston University School of Medicine