tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5329102433791432222.post3001309671400559780..comments2009-10-15T00:08:21.326-07:00Parents Under Constructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066104873428052873noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5329102433791432222.post-63086457058767834152009-10-15T00:08:21.326-07:002009-10-15T00:08:21.326-07:00Wow! Thank you for taking the time to write all of that out. I am going to send it to them to see if they have anything to say. I can&#39;t wait to hear their response to this one. Thanks again.Parents Under Constructionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18066104873428052873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5329102433791432222.post-39833856142033064522009-10-13T12:31:34.565-07:002009-10-13T12:31:34.565-07:00I&#39;ll just address the points that are actually relevant to the discussion. Most of their response is nothing more than general information.<br /><br />ACAI CLAIMS: They keep bringing up the characteristics of the freeze-dried acai concentrate. This is only one ingredient added to MonaVie, and apparently, not much is used. The ORAC score of the acai concentrate is 1,027 umoles/gm. The ORAC score of MonaVie is 22.81 umoles/ml. If we look at that alone, we know that the acai concentrate is tremendously diluted.<br /><br />To corroborate this, we can look at the Chromadex analysis (2008), which found a anthocyanin level of 0.095 mg/ml in MonaVie.<br /><br />Compare that to red grape juice which has an anthocyanin level 8 times higher (0.71 mg/ml).<br /><br />As mentioned in their response, acai has a high anthocyanin level. Yet, in Chromadex lab&#39;s analysis, it was very low.<br /><br />Therefore, in MonaVie we find a low ORAC, and a low level of anthocyanins. The simple conclusion is that the acai level is very low.<br /><br />Thus, their discussion of the antioxidant bioavailability studies of acai are meaningless.<br /><br />MONAVIE ACTIVE CLINICAL STUDY: Lots of deception here. 83.3% had an increase in antioxidant levels? There were only twelve subjects.<br /><br />The test was suspect from the start. They gave each subject a 4 oz. dose of MonaVie. The label clearly states 1 to 2 oz. twice a day. So, they should follow their own instructions rather than start off with a double-dose.<br /><br />Next, the study is ended after two hours of checking the blood levels for bioavailability. That leaves 22 hours from the day that we have no idea what the blood levels are.<br /><br />VITAMINS IN MONAVIE CLAIMS: They state that MonaVie is an excellent source of vitamin C.<br /><br />Not according to the lab analysis sponsored by The Men&#39;s Journal. It found MonaVie&#39;s vitamin C level to be 5 times lower than Welch&#39;s Grape Juice.<br /><br />MONAVIE ACTIVE GLUCOSAMINE: You can get glucosamine in a number of products at the drug store. And it&#39;ll be much cheaper than $21 to $45 per bottle. ($1,168 to $2,628 per year per person)<br /><br />ANTIOXIDANT EQUIVALENTS: I wanted to address this seperately. They claimed that 4 oz. of MonaVie has the ORAC of 13 servings of fruits and vegetables. They left out a word that belongs in the claim. That word is &quot;common&quot; fruits and vegetables. Useing that vague reference, they will be able to locate 13 fruits and vegetables that have a very low ORAC value. They can then make this claim.<br /><br />What they don&#39;t mention is that of the 143 fruits/veggies found on the USDA ORAC Table of Selected Foods, 55 of them have a higher ORAC than MonaVie.<br /><br />The bottom line is: no matter how many general nutrition statements the company makes, it still falls far behind the common apple in ORAC and polyphenols (phenolics).<br /><br />As for any other phytonutrients that they claim to have, there are no studies or simple lab analysis on MonaVie that support their claim.<br /><br />Food Tech in CAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com