Be Wary of the Berry Scams
Most of us have received an e-mail or seen an advertisement endorsing the Dr. Oz or Oprah diet using acai (ah-sigh-ee) or resveratrol. When I see their faces, I so want to believe that there is a magic juice to make me thinner, younger looking and more energetic. Now if it was that easy, it would be on my shelf already. I still want to believe.
Is there such thing as an Oprah or Dr. Oz diet or secret weapon?
No, Both Dr. Oz an Oprah are pursuing legal action against the companies that use their name and likeness to dupe people into ordering products that they do not specifically endorse. See Oprah: http://www.oprah.com/article/health/nutrition/20090105_orig_acai.
The companies seem to primarily originate in China and will often try to get your credit card so they can charge you on a monthly basis. Even if it says “free trial” and just pay for shipping. Don’t do it! It is all a scam to get your credit card, and they will continue to charge your card monthly.
What about other juices sold in the United States by individuals or in stores?
There are many products sold by individuals, most notoriously MonaVie, that are part of a multilevel marketing strategy. They rely on many distributors with only a very few at the top making lots of money, as these bottles are very expensive. Their product claims to contain acai and other juices, but they do not release in what amounts, as that is considered proprietary information. I am very wary of these products because there is so much financial incentive in their pyramid system. You can look at their income discloser statement: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:VKOAObEHkKQJ:media.monavie.com/pdf/c....
Many people claim to get tremendous benefit, which could be from the juice or even placebo, but it is important to know how these things work financially. Please check with the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/) before buying any of these products from individual companies.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a Comment48 Comments
Thanks for that! I feel like I am being bombarded with ads for Acia Berry juice. Sounds like another 'miracle' product being marketed very well.
I think I'll stick to my fresh juices I make up in my Breville juicer.
June 9, 2009 - 1:46pmThis Comment
I think you wrote this and did not do your research. Here is the results of a pilot and randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.
http://www.aibmr.com/news/story.php?id=2
Here is another Study done: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2008; 56(18): 8326-8333
Here is another statment you made "I am very wary of these products because there is "so much financial incentive" in their pyramid system.
You don't think we have been bombarded with the Kobe/LeBron Vitamin Water commercial throughout the entire playoffs and they did'n GET PAID MILLIONS! That they were not INCENTIVED to talk up & drink that product? Why is it ok for them to get rich off of a product but if you or I do and we are INCENTIVISED and watch out it must be a scam?
Last point. You said " They rely on many distributors with only a very few at the top making lots of money, as these bottles are very expensive.( less than $3 a day for 13 servings of FRUIT. How broke are you?)
How many people outside of Kobe/LeBron made money with Vitamin Water? Just the two at the top/
June 9, 2009 - 2:18pmand just so you know the same company that backed VW. Backs Monavie. The name? TSG Consumer Parners.
Hi,
Thanks for the link to the study.
What I learned from the study is that it supported most of what the original post's message is: acai berry has been shown as a powerful antioxidant, and more research needs to be conducted, as there is a belief that even more benefits are being obtained that researchers and scientists do not know of yet.
The other message from the article referred to other fruits and veggies that also are powerful antioxidants, and not to rely solely on a TV host (Oprah) or Dr. Oz to "sway" consumers into a particular product (besides, as mentioned, even Oprah and Dr. Oz are telling these manufacturer's "enough!" with using their name and product-endorsement without permission).
I appreciated both the original post and your link; it's helpful for everyone to have all views and make informed decisions.
June 9, 2009 - 5:05pmDr. Deb, Your statement are way off base. I am not sure where you are getting your information, but think you should really research the Mona Vie Company before making such claims against them and the product. I for one am not a top level distributor - but have been able to make good money. Enough to keep me going through these tough times where even my 28 year old plumbing business is barely surviving. The juice is not expensive to drink...much less than a Starbuck's a day...and many more benefits. My entire family from my 80 year old parents to my infant grandchildren drink the juice and have realized numerous benefits. There are a number of studies done with the results available. Not all acai is the same and the nutritional value can be compromised. Wondering what acai juice you tested for antioxident levels? Please give this another look and if you do find that there's another side to your story I would hope you would print it. Thank you!
June 9, 2009 - 4:28pmHi,
You said there are "a number of studies done with the results available", and it would be helpful if you could post a link (or at least authors or journals published in), so readers can be as informed as possible.
thanks!
June 9, 2009 - 4:54pmI just started with Monavie and there has been no mention of Oprah from anyone. I did however search the word "acai" on the Oprah website and it is considered the #1 Superfood. Oprah has nothing to do with Monavie unless she is smart enough to drink it! I'm making an extra $1000 a month. Not as much as the top distributors make but enough to make a huge difference to my bank account. Try and get your day job to give you an extra nickel right now is like pulling teeth.
June 9, 2009 - 10:39pmSeems like MonaVie is a target lately. Makes me wonder why...
Is it the visibility they are getting from sponsorships?
The number of distributors talking about the product?
Would it be different is the product was priced lower or distributed through GNC instead?
What is probably the primary cause is the number of distributors that make anecdotal and unscientific claims about the product (and maybe even the business opportunity). To qualify that statement - it's not every distributor making hypish claims - it's probably only a small percentage. And I doubt it's on purpose or a strategy - it's a by product on not understanding all 3 dimensions of network marketing success and how to work in them ethically.
There was some critique from CNBC on MonaVie recently - in this case the reporter wrote the story with a clear bias to mislead his reader with distorted numbers. The analysis is interesting: http://www.network-marketing-works.com/blog/did-cnbc-reporter-distort-fa...
June 10, 2009 - 7:42amThanks Dr. Deb. Good article.
Monavie is G-A-R-B-A-G-E, but saying so will get you bombarded by irate Monavie distributors who can't accept the truth about their ripoff products.
Did you happen to see this analysis that showed Monavie is less nutritious than apple and grape juice?
http://www.mensjournal.com/superjuices-on-trial
June 10, 2009 - 9:24amHow is fruit juice garbage? Just curious
June 10, 2009 - 9:43amIt's not rocket science. Monavie is advertised, at the astronomically high price of $45 a bottle, as an ultra-healthy nutritious antioxidant-rich juice. In fact, independent tests showed that it had lower levels of antioxidants than plain old inexpensive grape juice and apple juice.
Monavie, unlike grape and apple juices, also contains sodium benzoate, a controversial preservative that has been linked to various adverse effects on health.
The reason why this nutrient-deficient overpriced juice is being hawked as being something special is because of the unchecked greed and dishonesty that characterizes MLM/pyramid scams of this type.
June 10, 2009 - 10:06am