Goji, Noni, Mangosteen and Acai: Don't Believe the Hype
A few weeks ago my significant other came home clutching a bottle of Açai (ah-sigh-ee) Juice.
An involuntary groan escaped my lips. A well-meaning marketer had foisted the 'superjuice' bottle upon her - claiming it would help with a multitude of health ailments.
I was deeply suspicious (as most people are when someone who recommends a product also happens to sell it).
However - I now have some facts to go with my suspicions - thanks to Australia's largest consumer organization Choice.
Choice compared a number of these so-called super-juices and found that:
- their health claims are exaggerated.
- the products are overpriced.
- most of the drinks are sold via a Network Marketing (or MLM) process.
Certainly the drinks contain a range of nutrients, but you may be surprised at the (often touted) antioxidant content.
For example (Note: TAC means Total Antioxidant Capacity)
- You’d need to drink almost five 30mL serves of Tahitian Noni Juice to match the TAC of a navel orange (2540).
- Three 30mL serves of Xanberry Mangosteen Juice Plus would still fall short of matching the TAC of a cup of strawberries (5938), raspberries (6058) or cultivated blueberries (9019).
- The TAC of the humble Red Delicious apple (5900) is roughly equivalent to ten 30mL serves of Himalayan Goji Juice.
What about the scientific evidence? Choice provides some examples of potential health benefits. However real clinical trials on humans are scarce.
The Bottom Line
Fruit contains a vast array of nutrients - and most of us are not consuming enough fruits or vegetables. However, no single fruit or food will ever be the solution for all of our ailments, and - if anything - a diverse diet is best.
These super-juices are pricey and come with a number of spurious and anecdotal health claims.
Be sensible and wise. It's both sad and astonishing to see people with a diet consisting of pie and chips believing that a bottle of super-juice will make them well (via)
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You so right. I talked about this a lot recently on my site - people love the quick fix. Fruit and vegetables really needs to become the core of our diet, not breads, pastas, etc. I wrote about it in a post about getting real health and I hope more and more people decide to make fruit a bigger part of their diet.
ReplyTo the naysayers out there...I am a bright 50 year old woman able to make my own decisions as to what works for me. If you have not tried the mangosteen juice you really can't talk about it. I'm off my allergy medicine, which I've used for several years and my energy level is sky rocketing from since drinking Xango. Oh ya...and before I drank this juice I was eating healthy and exercising regularly! Thank goodness for healthy supplements!
ReplySome folks do get amazing benefits from 'superjuice' but I suspect it's the pie and chips people you mentioned. Our diets are so out of whack as a whole that suddenly the body has some decent nutrition.
But it's not the answer.
The answer is to correct the diet, not supplement a bad diet with 'superjuice'.
I did a big investigation into the goji hype. You'll find in on my homepage under 'popular posts'.
It's been the most read article.
Cheers
Reply~Mike
I haven't read the study and I usually don't comment until I do, but I just wanted to point out that 1 serving (8 fluid ounces) is 240 mL; so by those numbers, when you buy a bottle of Acai or Pomegranate Juice for example, it works out to more than what's actually in 1 fruit. I do agree with the overpriced bit though!
ReplyI have been on Xango for a year and it isn't a dietary supplement or a major antioxidant. It does have a good source of antioxidants but not a windfall. I am not overweight but I have had health problems that Xango has helped and gotten me off some medications. Let me just say that I don't sell the juice I just drink it. Xango isn't about antioxidants and losing weight it is about the properties it gets from the mangosteen fruit called Xanthones and clinical trials are under way. I also believe there is never a substitute for diet and excercise.
ReplySpeaking of 'fortified' beverages, has there been any research on the pop with vitamin claims yet that anybody knows about? Just curious.
ReplyI agree strongly with the sentiment in this article. OTOH, I know a bit about noni. At least the stuff on Hawai'i, is truly awful smelling and tasting. Imagine a combination of strong cheese and musty shoes, and give it a slimy texture. That's ripe noni. The Hawaiians use noni for a host of medical purposes - disinfection, menstral cramps, for example - and it's not for the delightful floral aroma.
Noni juice is not a traditional way of using noni, and I wouldn't be surprised that anything good about noni is lost in the process.
It sure is nice to see places like Puna having a cash crop and industry competing with pakalolo.
ReplyObviously you're NOT Hawaiian. Noni prepared by "us Hawaiians" isn't as awful as you described it.
ReplyHey, I drink pomegranate, Acai and Mangosteen juices and I never felt better! I have great energy and my colds and flu have been nonexistant since I have been on pomegranate and Acai. Yes they are expensive but given the alternate of taking a drug for the ailments that I no longer have since taking them, I do not mind paying for the juices. Compared to one pill costing $3.50 and not doing any good at all, which would you choose, the cost of the juices or the cost of the drug? Simple answer isn't it.
ReplyOh, by the way, I don't sell any of these juices. I am just a happy, healthy consumer.
ReplyHow much do you spend a month on juice? Sounds expensive. And to your question, I'd take option c) neither - I'll continue to eat veggies and fruits and reap the same benefits as those drinking expensive juices.
ReplyHey Mike, ever tried it? Hypocrite
ReplyIf anyone has a half-hour to spare, do yourselves a favour and check out this expose on Goji juice. They really backed that sleazy "Dr>" Mindell into a corner with his lies and exaggerations.
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/01/goji.html
ReplyI never bought into the hype of the benefits of acai/noni/mangosteen, etc., juices because I don't typically drink juice. I do eat a lot of fruits and veggies and I get my antioxidants in that way because I don't believe in paying extra for a juice that says it is super rich in antioxidants.
ReplyJuice, for example, concentrated apple juice, diluted to the manufactures suggestion was shown to be unhealthy.
My thought? Keep it sweet and simple. Everything in moderation. You don't need a medical expert to tell you that the answer to health and longevity is not going to be found in a bottle. :)
ReplyI've been reading some stuff recently about Barry Glassner, author of The Gospel of Food, plus I listened to this podcast. His central theme is that we worry about the wrong things, both socially, but also when it comes to food.
I think the super-food phenomenon is part of this. People worry about getting the best antioxidants, but they ignore the cheap, every day sources - ie fruit and vegies. Here in Australia more and more people are investing in Goji, etc, when only 5% of men and 10% of women eat the minimim daily total of five vegie serves.
It seems a hard message to get across, whether that's because people want an easy fix, or for other reasons, I'm not sure.
ReplyPeople just seem to want to buy into a miracle. They always want the Free Lunch, or the miracle pill. There are so many people out there that just don't want to work for what they want. Sure, we all want to just wake up in the morning and be our "perfect" weight, whatever that is for us. We all want to suddenly get rich. That's not life and I think the truth is that if you have to work for it, you appreciate it so much better. I watched the Marketplace segment Mike posted. It just made me really sad. Some people are buying into overnight health miracles, others into overnight riches and some into both. How terrible. Yes, there are laws, but these people touting these ridiculous products seem to just skirt right by them. In the meantime, you have McDonald's who NEVER made ANY health claims, getting sued! It's insanity. No one wants to take responsibility for their own actions and their own choices. I'll just eat terrible food, but drink this miracle juice and counter it. When will it all stop???
ReplySigh.... I know you are absolutely right.
ReplyVery interesting. Can anyone provide any info about the benefits (or non-benefits) of chlorophyll in a diet? I have a friend who swears by it, but I have tried it for about 8 or nine weeks and it doesn't seem to be affecting me in any way. BTW I eat plenty of fruits and veggies, have laid off red meat for the most part, try to watch my carbs, take vitamins and supplements faithfully. But I haven't seen any overall improvement in my health ( i.e. energy level, etc.)If you can, please e-mail me at dodenhoff1@yahoo.com. Thanks for the info!
Replymaybe your diet is different than your friends' and therefore the chlorophyll is affecting you (or not) in a different way...for instance my sister and I have taken chlorophyll over the years during stressful times when we are drinking coffee and it really helps to eliminate the acidity from coffee drinking... beyond that we did not find any other great advantages but we both eat a lot of green and leafy vegetables...
ReplyI was approached by 2 "Mangosteen Salesmen" to by this
Reply"miracle drink", I was able to see thru this immediately.
Then I was asked to consider "marketing" it. Immediately,
I refused. I could not justify ripping people off.
Some of my co-workers were approached to buy this
"miracle drink" and they purchased it, it was very expensive. What was most distressing for me to watch was
one of my co-workers had cancer and she was a target!
She was approached and sold a bill of "false hope". She
purchased the drink and she really could not afford to
pay that extreme price, the salesmen knew it, they did not care. They knew that they had someone who was desperate and needed some type of hope. I could not take watching how she was being taken advantage off. I
had to do a lot of talking to try to make my co-workers
come to their senses. It was difficult! I confronted the Salesmen with a hidden tape recorder, and they did admit
that"Mangosteen is just another juice, just like Orange
Juice but over priced, we are selling people hope and
giving a man hope is not so bad!"
Well, it was a pleasure to tear this "Mangosteen Empire" down!! All of my co-workers are now leading a healthy lifestyle. My co-worker with cancer, she is doing well and has a healthy lifestyle and walks daily for 30 min. It is too bad we usually have to get to this place before we see the light.
First of all, have you ever even tried any of theses juices? Yes, you might read the papers and cite a few studies but until you've tried any of the products your opinion is suspect. Also, your opinion is typical. A more nuanced blog might have explored the issue from both sides of the fence, say from the perspective of a pessimist who has actually tried the products. I say this because I too have been deeply suspicious of acai and the other so-called "super-fruits"--the claims made for them, as well as they way they are marketed on the internet--but when I finally decided to try a few of these products I was pleasantly surprised by the benefits.
One question: Why are you advertising acai on this blog? That's hilarious!
Replypeople feeling good about taking these juices are simply experiencing the halo effect. if you are told (or convinced) that you will feel better, then you will. you get the exact same physical benefits by eating fruits and vegetables from the store, and it's much less costly. i don't understand how people can think that a juice is going to cure everything for them?
no, i haven't tried the juice. the reason for this, is that my mother has cancer, and was sold noni juice at a very hefty price. i watched her choke it down every day, and see no benefits. i then watched her purchase six months of acai, up front, for another huge payment. this didn't do anything for her either. once she started eating better, she felt better.
diet and exercise are going to give you the good feeling, not some mass-produced wonder juice.
ReplyIn Canada, we have these smoothie places called "Booster Juice" and they sell this Acai drink, I remember reading one of the pamphlets and it seems too good to be true haha.
It's funny how they're selling this "Goji" drink for insane amounts of my money. I come from a Chinese background and my parents love putting dry Goji berries in clear soup broths. It's only couple dollars for a pound of this dry Goji berries at your local chinese herbal medication stores.
ReplyReally, Good to know! Have been on the juice for 6 months now and never felt better in my life.
ReplyAll of my joint pain is gone and my concentration has never been better. Also the anxiety attacks are all under control. I guess stick with it if it works for your body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
how about drinking these juices because they taste good. I agree with the overpriced bit though. But nova has a great acai mango juice. Yumm!!!!
ReplyThere is absolutely no substitute for a healthy diet and exercise combined with a positive mental outlook. ALL these are critical. There will never be good health come out of a bottle, but just because it comes out of a bottle doesn't mean it isn't good. I have always had a diet rich in diverse fruits and vegetables, but when I lost my spleen in a car accident, my body needed more than basic nutrition. For the first 2 years, I followed a medical regimine and good food to support my disabled immune system, but was still seriously sick on a regular basis. For the last two years I have substituted the medicine for Xango juice and now am sick less than all my co-workers and friends. - For less than $1/day (less than lost wages in sick days for the average american)
ReplyNo there is no magic cure, you need to use your head, but don't waste your time condeming something just because it may not be for you either.
No I don't sell any of it, just thankful it's there.
Hi Folks!
I just read all the responses, very interesting opinions on the juice products. :-) I do want to say one thing though, what's the one common thing between all the people who DO drink the juice(s)? The Belief Factor! They BELIEVE it works for them whether it be by how they feel after using it, or what it's done for a family member. If you're drinking the juice and you don't believe it's going to work for you, then pretty much, it won't because your belief factor doesn't make it conducive for you to see it working. A strong belief system creates what you see in front of you.
I agree that most of the juices on the market are expensive but of course, that's another whole story. But for some, like mentioned above, sometimes that price is easier than paying for medical stuff that can only make financial situations worse over time.
Just wanted to offer my 2 cents. And yes, I do sell a vitamin juice but none of the ones mentioned in the picture at the top, per se.
ReplyI disagree with this article. I love the taste of Acai, Goji, and Mangosteen. Ever since I have began consuming these products, I have more energy than ever before. If price is an option, you can always get the extracted supplement at a vitamin store. Also these superfoods have stronger antioxidants as specifified in the ORAC score. 1 once of goji berries, has a ORAC of 25,000 while apple has an ORAC of 218. I recomend superfoods to be eaten
ReplyYes, believe the ORAC score!
ReplyBeing a skeptic is good, initially, but don't cut off your nose to spite your face. Investigate. To supplement or not to supplement. Liquid vs. pill forms of vitamins and minerals. Compare the products; noni, gogi, pomegranite, mangosteen, Centrum, etc. Listen to or read the product testimonials.
ReplyThere are articals aplenty on the web. Some tout whole foods while most seem to favor supplementation. Think about it. Our food is not the same as it used to be. If you grow your own organic fruits and vegetables then you are likely in good shape. Most of us buy from the grocery stores, though. Both fruits and vegetables you buy at the store have been picked before they have ripened, robbing us of their full value. Not to mention the pesticides, insecticides and whatever other toxins the growers use. There are articals on the web about soil degradation due primarily to population growth as well as natural erosion but nevertheless a real concern. Eating whole foods (not processed) is still highly recommended but the fact is everyone should supplement. Antioxidents are extremely beneficial to our cellular health. I don't know anything about acai but I do know something about Mangosteen. Again, do a search. Mangosteen has been used for medicinal purposes for well over 400 years by Asian countries. It's new to the U.S., relatively speaking. The fruit, known as the Queen of fruits, is still being studied and rigorously tested and the results are impressive. I've read articals on Mangosteen from JAMA, PDR, and the Journal of Natural Products, with citings from Johns Hopkins and a few Universities. I didn't just fall for the hype. I investigated. I challenge you naysayers to do the same. There are just a little over 200 Xanthones in our food system and Mangosteen has 40 known Xanthones. Check out the web for the benefits of Xanthones. If, after you have done your research, you find that you are interested enough to try it go to my website and look up our product comparison chart. The comparison is completely legitimate. The company has the utmost in quality and integrity and has submitted our product to seven different independent labs for testing. We have such faith in our product we offer a risk free, 100% money back empty bottle guarantee. Check it out at www.myvemma.com/4goodhealth. By the way the ORAC score for our product is 115,779 per 32oz bottle. Apprx 3400 per serving. By the way.. you get what you pay for and the quality is superior to our competitors. I sell it because I care about people, it's helped me with my health issues, and I want to supplement my retirement. WIN WIN WIN
As far as I am concerned, the proof is in the pudding. I personally have been taking an ounce a day of a product that includes all these superjuices and more, ORAC score of 400, strongest known at this time. In over a YEAR I have not had a cold, no virus, no flu! I have not been sick! I believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! I love fruits and veggies, however I know I don't get enough of these in my diet. I am a truck driver and committed to good health and longevity. If any wants to email me they are welcome to. daryl@abcdeal.net
ReplyNoni Juice cured my son of Eczema. He was about 8 months old, had eczema on his face terribly bad. We started him on Noni and within a week, there were no signs he'd ever had eczema. It was so amazing, I took before and after pictures. After being on Noni once a day for several months, we visited my mom for a week....and forgot the Noni at home. In about 4 days, the eczema started back up. When we got home, we immediately have him a dose and kept him on it daily. Within a week it was gone again and hasn't returned.
ReplyNo, it doesn't taste good to me, but my son doesn't mind it at all. We mix it in his Cran-Grape juice and he drinks it right up!!
I would say to anybody that loves the taste of noni, that they have never really tasted actual noni. It is very bitter and very nasty to the taste. Again, many of these are blended with other juices, water and flavors to make them palatable. The better these taste, the less if any actual noni is really in them.
ReplyAcai is tasty, but it is not even the most antioxidant-rich Amazon fruit - that would be acerola. People eat acai here because it will fill you up... it is a lot of calories, a lot of vitamins.
3.5 ounces of pure acai would be 500 calories. 3.5 ounces of it as usually sold is 250 calories, cause it is so strong that they make it about 50% water. It has 7g protein, 24g fat, 1g carb, 17g fiber. So it is a fruit, but the macronutrient breakdown is that of a nut, and we know how filling nuts are.
People usually eat it mixed with tapioca in the Amazon, but in the rest of the country, they eat it by blending frozen acai with a fruit like banana, mango, or strawberry, and a liquid like guarana (which is an energetic like caffeine) or orange juice, and topping it with granola and peanuts or Brazil nuts. Sometimes they add powdered milk, honey, brown sugar, yogurt, or sweetened condensed milk. By then you are at a ton of calories, so yeah, you are sure to be feeling energized, haha.
ReplySeems to me that you are not letting people in on some other information that you fail to explain. The TAC that you speek of makes no a single bit of difference when it comes to the TAC of mangosteen, noni, pomagranate, or any other high antioxidant containing fruit. It all boils down to WHICH ANTIOXIDANTS THEY CONTAIN. The antioxidants in the fruits I listed are STRONGER than that of which the orange, strawberry, or any other fruit you listed contain. Thats what matters.
ReplyOne other thing to add. Antioxidants are not good for cancer patients undergoing chemo. So try to stay away from high concentrated forms of antioxidants. They tend to work against the chemo. So, for the guy that was complaining about a co-worker purchasing mangosteen juice when she had cancer, that was probably not the best idea. Knowledge is something we all take for granted. You will never learn anything unless you are willing to learn it. Keeping yourself stupid is a choice that you have to make. Sad to say, that a lot of people choose to keep themselves stupid. Don't just read one article that someone posts and decide that it is the truth. As for the guy who posted this, you need to learn something other than how to be a skeptic. If you doubt something, do some research, you will be suprised.
Replyall the claims made by mncs regarding nutrition of
Replytheir rubbish jucies pills and tonics are fake in
case of fruits they rapidly loose their food value
as soon as they are plucked what to talk about juice
preserved in bottles using artificial agents what
ever is left in these is actually sustituted by ill
effects of preservatives.try to grow small bush
fruits in pots and you will be paid by healthy
and fresh fruit even if there is limited production
it would be far far better than preserved juices etc
and those fruits raised with pestisides and ripening
agents.
I see several comments that address the "high ORAC" (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) value of many of the more "exotic" juices, and use that as justification for their use. It's not as simple as that. Elissa, a staff member and a food scientist, explains the limitations of "ORAC" and how the term is often as mere marketing spin in this post...
http://blog.ultimatefatburner.com/wordpress/supplement-ad-claim-of-the-month-high-orac/
ReplyI notice you mention your significant other with the bottle of Açai and don't mention it further. You only mention other products. I have been drinking Açai and have noticed the following positive effects.
Lower Cholesterol,Clearer Skin,More Energy,Better Concentration, It tastes good & it works wonders for a hangover.
I would guess your significant other might have enjoyed his/her beverage more had you not been groaning in the corner.
ReplyDr. Passwater goes on to say the following about antioxidants in his book "The Antioxidants":
“Combinations of antioxidants are like a balanced symphony working together. A symphony orchestra produces sounds so much more harmonious than merely having 20 drums playing. It is not the quantity, but the blend. The same is true with antioxidant nutrients: you get better results with moderate amounts of a full complement than you get with using very large amounts of just one nutrient… In general, the different reducing agents in the body “talk to one another” freely, and thus, it is probably important that all of our pools of reducing agents be maintained. For this reason, most of us in the field recommend that a person take a variety of antioxidants (a “cocktail”), not just a single substance.”
Dr. Passwater concludes:
“The importance of synergism is that the antioxidant nutrients each contribute to the total protection. They work together in the antioxidant cycle and reach all body compartments–fat and water-based, blood and internal cell. They protect against all types of free radicals and reactive oxygen species. No one antioxidant can do all of this.”
If you're interested in trying a full-complement, synergistic, whole food, "balanced symphony" antioxidant blend, then Greens First is for you.
Reply"Mac"
www.greensfirst.com/5039
honestly, regardless of whether the properties of these juices and fruits will make me healthier, they are delicious and its nice to have variety when it comes to what we eat. That said, drinking a glass of acai juice instead of a can of soda isn't going to save your life, but its a step in the right direction.
ReplySome people on this forum talking about drinking a lot of juices should also consider:
Juices (even 100% pure juices) carry a high natural sugar content and consuming too much of it rapidly raises the blood sugar. The body compensates to the sugar high with a surge of insulin from the pancreas - and the insulin, in turn, stimulates the liver to manufacture more cholesterol.
No.2, it may also elevate triglycerides levels.
Replyegardless of whether the properties of these juices and fruits will make me healthier,As for the guy who posted this, you need to learn something other than how to be a skeptic. If you doubt something, do some research, you will be suprised.
ReplyWell, you have to do some background research on your juices. The juices that claim that they are 100% Acai Juice, for example, are manufactured differently from MonaVie. MonaVie has a patented way of freeze drying it's Acai right off of the tree so that it can give it's the consumers the best benefit. Other companies simply try to match the product by saying that it's "100% Acai Juice" but is not freeze dried right after coming off of the tree to give the customers the best benefit, not to say that there's no nutritional value in such juices, but by the time the fruit is transported to the US to be manufactured, the majority of it's nutritional value is gone. But this is just one example of what can happen and why people get upset with the lack of postive effects from a nutritional supplement.
Reply