The Facts about MonaVie…
If your email inbox or surfing habits are anything like mine, you have undoubtedly seen online testimonials or received emails that quoted something similar to the following:
“I have lupus, and for anyone who knows about it, it leaves me very tired and sleepy even after 8 or 9 hours of sleep. Also joint pain in a bad way. I drank MonaVie for four days and woke on day 5 and haven’t been [sleepy] yet. My family says I even talk faster. I have no pain, and have more energy than I have had in years. I love it it is the greatest thing next to Christ that I’ve experienced in my life. No more pain meds for me. YEAH!!!” — Susan
But what is this MonaVie stuff, anyway?
According to the official MonaVie website, they are purveyors of a juice blend that contains white grape, pear, acerola, pear puree, aronia, purple grape, cranberry, passion fruit, banana, apricot, prune, kiwi, blueberry, bilberry, camu camu, wolfberry, pomegranate, lychee fruit, açaí, and palm nut oil. While MonaVie will not disclose the percentage of açaí in their products, they tout them as premier açaí blends — under the implication that a large percentage of the juice blends is açaí.
Ever seen an açaí berry? Neither had I. The berries are produced by a palm tree known scientifically as Euterpe oleracea, common along Brazil’s Amazon River; almost all the açaí palms grow wild in deforested floodplains. When ripe, the berries are dark purple, about the size of a blueberry, and contain a thin layer of edible pulp surrounding a large seed. During the dry season when the fruit is plentiful, hundreds of men lug woven baskets filled with the shiny fruit plucked from the 80-foot-high palm trees that line the river. Demand is high for the staple of native Amazon cuisine, virtually unknown globally until 15 years ago when a pair of Californians recognized the economic potential of the regionally popular berry.
The Science
Along with the moniker as a “super food”, açaí berries are highly regarded for their amounts of antioxidants. A 2006 Brazilian study of antioxidants in the most commonly consumed fruits in Southern Brazil (mulberry, grapes, açaí, guava, strawberry, acerola, pineapple, mango, graviola, cupuaçu, and passion fruit) concluded that the highest levels of Trolox-equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) were found in acerola (53.2 μmolg-1 (micromoles of Trolox equivalents per gram)), mango (12.9), strawberry (9.2), grapes (7.0), and açaí (6.9). A similar 2004 study by the USDA among fruits common to the United States indicated total (lipophilic and hydrophilic) oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) of cranberries (94.56 μmolg-1 (micromoles of Trolox equivalents per gram)), wild blueberries (92.60), plums (62.39), and blackberries (53.48). An article in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reported the ORAC of freeze-dried fruit pulp and skin powder of açaí berries as 1027 μmolg-1 (micromoles of Trolox equivalents per gram), the same value used in marketing by MonaVie. While the studies used different assays (TEAC vs. ORAC), the measurements are 98% correlated in the above antioxidant studies due to the high capacity values (above 8 μmol/L (micromoles of Trolox equivalents per Liter)), after taking the length of the inhibition time into account.
What this means to the average non-scientist is that eating six to eight large strawberries (about 1/4 pound) or a few mango slices (about 1/6 pound) results in the same antioxidant potential as a one-gram pill of pure, concentrated, freeze-dried açaí berries or 1/3 pound of fresh açaí berries. Modern processes have been able to concentrate antioxidants per gram from açaí berries to the highest level of all fruits, but whole açaí berries are much farther down the scale than other readily available fresh fruits. With a vast number of juices and supplements competing for consumers’ money, it makes good business sense to tout ingredients with the highest measurable numbers — thus the trend towards using freeze-dried açaí berries instead of purees and pulps; the number 1027 sounds a whole lot better than 6.9.
Are açaí berries a good source of antioxidants? Yes. But if it’s only the amount of antioxidants you care about, the same USDA study points to other non-fruit sources of antioxidants such as pecans (179.4 μmolg-1, or about 1/2 a nut to compare to the one-gram açaí pill), dried oregano leaf (2001.29, or about half a leaf), and cinnamon (2675.36, or 1/10th of a teaspoon). At the top end of the scale, a single drop of clove essential oil has an ORAC score of 10,786,875 μmol/L, the same amount of Trolox-equivalent antioxidants as in several spoonfuls of freeze-dried açaí berry powder.
The Marketing
MonaVie relies on the antioxidant powers of the açaí berry to market its products, but relies on its prolific multi-level-marketing (MLM) distribution channel to do the actual selling. Customers who use Monavie are encouraged to become independent distributors of the Monavie products by purchasing the right to resell for an initial $39 (annual membership renewal is $20 thereafter). Distributors try to bring in more distributors and get a percentage of every sale made by the downline distributors they recruited.
While the Monavie compensation plan is complicated, the general idea is that if you can bring in a network of people to sell juices, and they sell to their friends, and their friends sell to their friends, you will make money. The plan guarantees (in small print) that 50% of the total volume of purchases will be paid to its pool of distributors, and as long as you purchase $100 (or $200 for those deeper into the payment structure) of product per month, you’ll get a share of the proceeds. Obviously, the distributors on the highest branches of the tree earn significantly more than those at the bottom, and the majority of distributors do not make enough money to compensate for their monthly required personal purchase.
As such, with all that money floating around, there are a few disreputable and greedy distributors making illegal claims as to the benefits of MonaVie. Many of them tout the juice as a factor in curing everything from “inherited auto-immune disorders” to “joint pain and headaches”. Consider the following quote recently left by a MonaVie distributor on another blog:
“The crown jewel of this drink [is] the Acai berry… The Brazilian people have very little disease and certainly no cancer. They are very close to the equator and the people there although are very tanned are not suffereing [sic] from skin cancer and also do not have tons of wrinkles.” — Iris
In a misguided effort to convince consumers to purchase MonaVie, this distributor claims that açaí berries (thus, the MonaVie juice that she sells) prevents cancer and cures most diseases. Thanks to the proliferation of technology that allows anyone to have their own websites and shoot their own videos, many other MonaVie distributors make similar claims, citing benefits ranging from helping remove plantar warts to curing a dog’s arthritis.
The FDA has clamped down on unsupported claims made in the marketing of similar fruit juice blends. The official MonaVie website states that “it is not the purpose of a natural product like MonaVie to treat, cure, or prevent disease”, and sellers who make false claims are reportedly removed from the company’s compensation plan. Jeff Graham, managing director of product development for MonaVie, says, “We want to be around for a long time, and the best way to be around for a long time is to make the appropriate and well-defined and approved claims you can make for fruit-based products, which are really very few.”
The problem is that while MonaVie makes no claims to consumers of health benefits, nor does it allow distributors to make such claims, nothing prevents MonaVie from attempting to convince its own distributors of those benefits, nor does it prevent distributors from “educating” their recruits. Official training materials endorsed and presented by MonaVie’s Jeff Graham contain a slide that discuss decreased incidences of non-melanoma skin cancers in the Northern regions of Brazil as compared to the Southern regions. The same slide has a tiny footnote that reads “Acai grows and is consumed in high amounts in the Northern part of Brazil” — and distributors are left with a compelling but deceptive inference which they unwittingly propagate.
Personal Trial
Wanting to give MonaVie every chance to succeed or fail on its own merits, I purchased a case of four 750ml bottles of MonaVie Active off eBay for $97.50 (shipping and handling included) — a happy medium between the retail price of $45 per bottle and the distributor price which runs from $20 to $29 per bottle (plus shipping), depending on sales volume and marketing incentives. I later found out (during the research phase) that, per their US Policies & Procedures, MonaVie expressly prohibits sales of their products through infomercials, television, radio, or on any website where an auction is the mode of selling. Oops! I certainly did not intend to support someone who was intentionally violating the company’s established rules. However, if I’d relied instead on the spam emails in my in-box, I would have paid $135.15 for the same case.
I cracked open a bottle the day after receiving it from UPS, having let it cool overnight in the refrigerator. The general consensus online is to drink between one ounce (two tablespoons) and two ounces (1/4 cup) per serving, once in the morning and again at night. After vigorously shaking the bottle, I poured myself a bit extra on this first tasting (three ounces) in order to better describe the first experience. Once I untwisted the cap of the bottle that resembled one from a fine wine (and being somewhat relieved upon not finding a cork that needed to be extracted), I took a whiff.
The first thoughts that came to mind were of a tropical-blend-flavored cough medicine; I was unable to identify any specific ingredients by smell, but the contents were both fruity and medicinal at the same time. Once poured, visually it resembled a mildly thickened, opaque red wine with a moderate amount of sediment. The first taste hit me with a mildly acidic tang. Again, unable to positively identify specific components, my mind flashed on a few possible matches, including grape, blueberry and pomegranate — all ingredients within the blend. Not sweet and slightly sour, MonaVie is drinkable, if you can put aside the medicinal stigma.
Two weeks (and two bottles) later, I had mostly acclimated to the tangy tincture. Nighttime consumption tended to give me gas and heartburn, so I switched to drinking MonaVie in the mornings only, four ounces at a time. Since I started taking MonaVie, my bowels had been looser than normal, a condition reported by many other consumers of the blend.
At three weeks and three bottles, I’ve actually started liking the juice blend. I tried switching back to the recommended twice-daily dose, rather than just a morning dispatch, however the nighttime heartburn returned. Back again to once a day, and the heartburn disappeared.
A month into the trial, the case was gone. There was no positive difference in my overall health attributable to consumption of the juice — my energy levels had not increased, I was not sleeping any better, the few patches of dry skin I had were still dry, my bouts of back and neck pain had not lessened, daily doses of medication had not changed, and my sinuses were no clearer than usual. The introduction of loose bowels was still an issue.
Conclusions
MonaVie is drinkable, but I don’t like it enough to continue buying the product. However, I kind of miss the morning ritual. I believe I’ve given the juice a fair trial, but it has not done anything extraordinary for me. MonaVie is simply a blend of juices. Do not rely on health claims for any product unless the statement is approved by the FDA. Drink it because you like it, not because you (or your friend who wants to sell you the juice) are convinced it will cure anything.
Exercise common sense. After all, as the ubiquitous they often say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
You are right about the wolfberry. Although The acai used by MonaVie is certified organic through The Institute for Marketecology (IMO). In addition to the acerola, camu camu, and bilberry are also certified organic. The blend consists of a total of 19 fruits and unfortunately it is not possible to organically certify all of the fruits in MonaVie and thus the finished product. For example, MonaVie’s wolfberry is harvested in China, and the Chinese government does not have a recognized organic certification process.
However, to ensure safety the finished MonaVie products are regularly tested for dozens of pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides by an independent, third-party analytical laboratory. Each test performed has repeatedly found the products to be free of any of these potentially harmful substances. This added step in MonaVie’s quality control process ensures our consumers are getting a safe, pure, and high-quality product.
The fruit of primary interest in the MonaVie blend is the acai berry. It provides a significant portion of nutrients, which adds to the product’s overall nutritional profile and content. The actual amount of acai we use in the MonaVie blend is proprietary, but it is by far the most abundant fruit in the blend.
MonaVie uses a combination of both freeze-dried acai and acai puree.
So I do have the facts. I can send you tons of info on this AMAZING PRODUCT!!!
Why would someone have to pay your way with Mona Vie? Why would you not do the 3 month test and then see how you feel? I tell you what I will send a bottle to someone you know and let them try it for free. They may have better results.
I agree that MonaVie is a high-quality juice blend. Based on the lack of any scientific or empirical evidence, I have to disagree that it provides any major health benefits beyond the basic benefits of increasing one’s dietary intake of fruit.
I’d be happy to take you up on that offer of sending a bottle to someone I know, but by your own admission you’d have to send a dozen bottles to cover the recommended 90-day period. If one bottle would make a positive difference, the four I consumed should have had an even more positive impact. If you are still willing, I will gladly record and publish their objective observations.
(For more information supplied by MonaVie, read their Black Diamond training website.)
@Curtis: Whether or not you are officially speaking for MonaVie, please consider using your real name instead when leaving comments here. Anonymity does not lend credibility.
OK, Lets try it. Send me someone you know their name and address. I would like this person to keep an open mind about trying this product. If they are going into this test with a negative attitude then it will be a waste of time for you and me. I will send them a bottle and see what kind of results we get. I’m not a spokesperson or officially speaking for MonaVie. I’m just talking about what I have learned and personal testimonies that I know. I know people that this product made a difference in their life the first day. My mother is one, after drinking Mona Vie back in June of 06, the product helped her so much she is still drinking it TODAY!!! Thats just one of the many testimonies I know. You can’t judge your health the same as someone else. We are all made different, what works for you may not work the same for me and vice-versa. All I ask is for honest answers from your observation. Mona Vie is not for everyone I know this. My family tried another juice product and did not get the results from it like we did with Mona Vie.
I fill that its up to the individual to make the decision on whether to try Mona Vie or not. You should encourage people to try it and make their own minds up, not to take your word for it. This product may be an answer to prayer for someone.
I NEVER MAKE ANY PROMISES ON THE PRODUCT OR WHAT IT WILL OR WILL NOT DO. Thats why you drink it and see what the outcome is. Your body will not lie!!!
Great! I’m checking with someone. As soon as I hear back from them and receive their permission, I’ll pass their contact information on to you. In response to:
…I have done nothing but provide honest and objective observations and will continue to do the same. The most major issue I see with MonaVie and similar products is the hyped-up marketing. I will continue to object and respond to statements like
even if they are followed up with disclaimers. MonaVie is a quality juice. Nothing more until empirically proven otherwise. Certainly not an answer to anyone’s prayers.
Based on an email received from Richard, I assume I’m the “someone he knows”. I’ll be willing to try Monavie for up to 90 days (based on how much you are willing to supply me at no expense on my part) and provide my unbiased observations.
In my professional life I am a Quality Assurance Manager and make my living testing an analyzing products. I could certainly give Monavie a fair and impartial evaluation.
@Sean: FYI, Curtis has promised only to provide a single bottle for trial.
Well, hardly seems like a sufficient trial to draw any firm conclusions, but if he sends the bottle I’ll certainly give it a fair trial.
On the plus side, at least I won’t have to put off those New Year resolutions for long. Like most folks at this time of year I promise to start eating better and exercising more. If I was on a multi-bottle Monavie trial I’d have to not change my current habits. Can’t add to many variables to the mix if you want to see what effect a single one would have. (See, folks. All part of having an impartial and controlled trial.)
I’m just wondering if you have any health issues. You don’t have to tell us what they are but would like to know if you do have any. After drinking MonaVie for three weeks, let us know if your health issues have changed.
I’m willing to send two bottles of MonaVie so he can drink it for three weeks. I’m a believer in MonaVie. Here’s my story. I started drinking Monavie on Dec. 8 and within three days the pain in my left knee was gone. The pain does come back after a hard day at the gym but all I do is up my dosage of MonaVie (four ounces within two hours) and the pain again subsides. I also sleep much better and definitely have a lot more energy. I’ve drank other nutritional drinks but have never felt what I feel with MonaVie. All you have to do is give MonaVie a chance. Everybody’s body is different.
Thanks, Christine.
OK, if Curtis sends the bottle he offered and Christine sends two, that makes for a three week trial (I’m assuming at the recommended dosage you go thru a bottle a week). Any other supporters of/believers in Monavie who want to contribute a bottle or two to the cause so we can get to the 3 month (~13 week) trial that Mona Vie. AKA Curtis said would be needed to to make an educated decision about the product?
LibertysLegacy? John Jones? Any of the other commenters here who have sung the praises of Monavie willing to donate to the cause?
As Christine’s question: No, I don’t have any ailments, persistent aches or any other specific difficulties that I would be look to Monavie to help resolve. However, while and after taking Monavie I would be reporting on any changes I notice including any general improvement in my energy level, sense of well-being, etc.
Hello all, Happy New Year!! 2008 is going to be a great year for Mona Vie.
We are launching this month in Brazil where the Acai Berry was found.
OK, I have sent Sean an email to get this going. I will be sending his bottle out shortly with brochures. Richard, your comment “Certainly not an answer to anyone’s prayers” You really should not speak for others. Ask Christine if Mona Vie is an answer for her. Is Mona Vie something she is really happy to have come across. I have seen and talked to a lot of people that has made the statement “This is a gift from GOD” I’m not telling them to say that. Thats what they tell me after trying the product. So this can be an answer to someone who is looking for Better Health or both Health and Wealth. I hope to see a return on my investment with Sean!!! You never know who is looking for something better in life. Thats why I talk to everyone about this product because of my personal experiences from others. So we will see what happens. Talk to you soon!!