Thanks to a request from one of our readers, I am pleased to provide you with an article on a health product that I had vaguely heard about in the past, but one that seems to be making a big hit or miss with many people across North America. The product is called MonaVie.
It is a beverage that is made with a variety of fruits, one of which is the nutrient dense acai berry. It is not sold in stores, but available through private distributors. On one hand, the product has disputed results when it comes to its effectiveness and worth, while on the other some people swear by it in terms of health improvements. So at a time, when numerous companies are selling all sorts of “health” products, I have done some research on this product and in this article hope to shed some light on this substance and its true benefits and risks for you.
What is MonaVie?
MonaVie is a potent fruit juice blend of 19 fruits with its main ingredient being the Amazon’s Acai berry. It was introduced in 2005 and has since been developing into a popular product for some.
It comes in two varieties: MonaVie Original and MonaVie Active. You can also obtain it in the liquid juice form or in gel packs.
In terms of taste, it seems that based on various sites and forums, that some people either love it or hate it. I have personally never tried this product and do not intend to, but from other sources it appears to have a “fruity” taste as one would expect with some unique flavor thanks to the acai berry.
What are the ingredients of MonaVie?
MonaVie contains the following ingredients listed from the most to least common:
- blend of açaí (freeze-dried powder and puree)
- 100% fruit juice, not from concentrate of (white grape, nashi pear, acerola, purple grape, cranberry, passion fruit, apricot, prune, kiwifruit, blueberry, wolfberry, pomegranate, lychee, camu camu)
- fruit puree (pear, banana, bilberry)
- preservatives (sodium benzoate and the antioxidant vitamin C or ascorbic acid)
* MonaVie Active adds d-glucosamine hydrochloride and esterified fatty acids to all of the previous ingredients.
The amounts of each of the above ingredients are not disclosed.
The company claims that the esterified fatty acids are 100% vegetable based but the glucosamine is apparently shellfish based and hence it may not be an acceptable product for all vegans or vegetarians.
Where can I buy MonaVie and what is the cost?
MonaVie is not sold in stores. It is sold by independent distributors. Basically the company is based on the MLM model of multi-level-marketing.
MonaVie costs about $45.00 US per bottle and can be purchased in bulk cases. Some distributors offer free shipping and handling.
What are the Nutritional Benefits of MonaVie?
MonaVie is a blend of extremely beneficial fruits, especially the now popular acai berry. There is no doubt that fruits are healthy and having them together in such a variety presents a valuable benefit to a person. It is thus high in antioxidants, phytonutrients and various vitamins.
MonaVie offers 20 calories per once or 30mls.
Are there any Scientific Studies to support MonaVie?
The first and easy answer is that aside from the company itself, the answer is no. MonaVie the company has run various tests and provides lots of positive testimonials on the benefits of this product. However, at this time no independent third party has undertaken testing this product.
There are of course lots of studies done on the acai berry and MonaVie uses these to its advantage, but they can in no way be looked upon as equivalent or substitute for the MonaVie beverage itself.
It has not been reviewed or approved by the FDA as it is labeled as a nutritional product or food, as opposed to a supplement and hence does not have to be.
Final Summary and Opinion
As far as the taste, I would assume that generally speaking the product tastes good.
As far as the availability, even though I am not a fan of the MLM paradigm as the only way to market a product, I guess it works for some. This exclusivity however, I feel limits people buying the product and/or taking it seriously. Unfortunately some of the health products that I have come across like this in the past are not completely open and honest and sooner or later something always comes out of what they were trying to hide.
As far as the cost, I would not have a problem with the $45 bottle price tag, IF I believed that there was some actual advantage for the AVERAGE person using this. However, if the average person just chose to cut out the processed food and picked up about 10 servings of fruits and vegetables in their daily diet – which is very, very possible and the way we are designed to eat, then there is no reason to pay the extra money for that product.
As far as the positive publicity, well any product can get all the publicity it wants and it does not make it good or right. Usually you will not find quality products in anything heavily marketed or advertised.
As far as the MonaVie Active, the glucosamine has now for years been beneficial to some for their joints and other arthritis like aches, so perhaps the glucosamine added here is equally beneficial.
In terms of the lack of studies, well that may be a little hard to swallow, but looking at their ingredients, one has to realize that they really DO NOT need any studies – it is a natural fruit juice – of course it is healthy and beneficial!
The fact that it is not approved by the FDA is also not a big deal as the FDA’s approval today does not count for much.
What I have a huge problem with is the preservative they use – the sodium benzoate. It just seems pretty odd to me that a company who seems to care so much about their customer’s health and be all about the purity of the Amazon, etc would be using such a well known dangerous preservative combo.
Sodium benzoate in combination with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which are the 2 preservatives put together in MonaVie, can form benzene, a known carcinogen. Increased heat, light and shelf life can increase the rate at which benzene is formed.
Aside from that, sodium benzoate on its own can increase ADHD, asthma like effects as well as various other allergic types of reactions. See studies like the one from Inchem.
Professor Peter Piper of the University of Sheffield claims that sodium benzoate by itself can damage and inactivate vital parts of DNA in a cell’s mitochondria and quotes the following:
The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it – as happens in a number of diseased states – then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to this kind of damage to the DNA – Parkinson’s and quite a lot of other neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging.
The CSPI (Center for Science in Public Interest) and their Food Safety Sector had the following to say with regards to sodium benzoate:
Though the amounts of benzene that form are small, leading to only a very small risk of cancer, there is no need for consumers to experience any risk. In the early 1990s the FDA had urged companies not to use benzoate in products that also contain ascorbic acid, but in the 2000s companies were still using that combination. A lawsuit filed in 2006 by private attorneys ultimately forced Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and other soft-drink makers in the U.S. to reformulate affected beverages, typically fruit-flavored products.
And yet MonaVie is doing exactly as the FDA urged companies not to. I do not hold much worth to what the FDA approves but when they disapprove of something, you know that it has to be pretty bad.
MonaVie may claim that the amount of sodium benzoate used and made into benzene is small and that it leaves the body within a certain number of hours and the like. But in my opinion if I am trying to be healthy, why would I subject my body to any amount of a toxin. And we always have to remember, a small amount of this added to all the other things you eat, drink and take in from the environment, who all claim to only have small amounts of something, starts to quickly turn into a cumulative toxic effect. So I do not buy this “small quantity” excuse from any company as their product is not the only one we use.
Conclusion
So in conclusion, there is a small percentage of people, who for various reasons will gain more benefits out of this product than risks. But for the average person, I highly recommend thinking about changing your diet to include lots of fresh and organic fruits and vegetables. Juice feasting has also picked up a lot of popularity lately for its cleansing effects on the body as well as highly nutritional value and so remember, you can also make some of your own favorite juices by mixing some fruits together.
To add to that, remember that there is also no need to go after miracle foods for the average person, like the once pomegranate craze and now acai berry craze. All fruits are very beneficial, yes some are much better than others, but the focus has to be on eating healthy everyday so you don’t have to desperately seek out “miracle foods” or be dependent on various products and their claims, whether they be true or not.
Hence, MonaVie definitely can have a lot of potential, but they have to start first by reformulating their product and add in a better preservative, one that will actually go in line with what they want to stand for.
UPDATES:
September 15, 2008 – Coca-cola is phasing out the harmful sodium benzoate in the United Kingdom. Read the story from David Guitierrez of Natural News here. No word from Mona Vie about such a phase out of this chemical from its line of products.
Sources and Resources
1. MonaVie Home
3. CSPI Food Additive Database
4. Monahealth
6. Club MonaVie
7. 50plus MonaVie Discussion Forum
6 OUT OF 10
About the author:Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.
9 Comments to “MonaVie and Your Health”
Hi Evita. Very well researched article. To be honest I had never heard of MonaVie before reading this article. Generally, when I read product reviews they are very subjective. However, after reading your review I was very impressed. It’s quite easy to find out about the benefits of a product but generally more difficult to work out the risks which you have idenitified fully. Thanks for making it a lot easier to fully assess this new product and for reviewing it properly.
Hi, there are some mistakes in your research.
In no particular order:
Cost: While a single bottle of the “active” version is $45, most buy it by the case which brings the price down to almost $30. ($130 for 4 bottles)
Scientific Studies: There was a study done by the University of Florida in 2006 which showed that acai killed 86% of leukemia cells. That should have been HUGE front page news in the war on cancer. But not when the FDA has their hands in Big Pharma’s pockets.
Preservatives: They do not mix ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate. The 2 natural preservatives in Monavie are sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.
Also regarding cost: How many people out there actually eat 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day? And even if they did, do you know how much money one would spend on produce? I would think 4 ounces of Monavie a day, which has the antioxidant equivalent of 13 servings of ordinary fruits and vegetables is actually cheaper, and definitely easier.
Glucosamine: It is not shellfish based. It is actually the only liquid vegetarian based source of glucosamine available. This liquid version is 80% absorbed in your body version 10-20% with the pill version people take, no wonder it has done almost miraculous things for people with joint pain.
If anyone would like more discussion on Monavie, please contact me! :)
monavieforlife@hotmail.com
Justin – thank you for your addition, however I cannot agree with all your claims being true.
I understand that you believe in this product and want to see it in the best light to sell it, but my job is just to educate people by exposing all of the info on any product, regardless of how it makes the product look as I have no vested interest in it and hence expose the good as well as the bad.
In terms of cost, yes some reps sell in bulk, some don’t. The bottom line is one bottle does cost $45.
In terms of scientific studies, based on my research I could not find anything of scientifically substantial value where Mona Vie is concerned. As far as Mona Vie’s own website goes they have a link to one study there, that is very weak from a scientific perspective and it does not even appear to be the one you are talking about. Just because a study has been done does not mean it clears a product. So many scientific aspects need to be looked at like population size, length of time, variation in the population, etc. – as well as the most important aspect of who sponsored the study.
I would be glad to examine the study you are talking about further and analyze its scientific criteria.
In terms of preservatives, sites upon sites state that Mona Vie includes sodium benzoate, ascorbic acid and potassium sorbate as preservatives.
And even IF Mona Vie did not add the ascorbic acid itself, almost all fruits have it (vitamin C) which means the chemical reaction to produce benzene is a plausible outcome.
Even without the ascorbic acid, from a scientific perspective I can tell you that sodium benzoate does not belong in our food and we cannot hide behind the word “natural” – what does that mean when we are talking about a chemical substance?Then I guess we might as well call everything natural as in one way or another it comes from our Earth – and I think we can all agree that is not right, just as the word natural does not always mean a good product as I specify many times on this site.
As far as the glucosamine, I am glad it is not shellfish based, I noticed that Mona Vie has seemed to update this recently on their web site, where as at the time of my research it was not there.
And finally, if we are to talk about people’s health, my stance is that we should all be eating as balanced and natural as possible and the fact that most people aren’t, is not justifiable to say let’s then give them a quick fix – we have enough of those in our society. We should instead be educating people on how to eat balanced, natural food and not need supplements.
Personally too, IF Mona Vie did not include the sodium benzoate, I would still not be drinking it, as I prefer to taste, see and consume the fruits and vegetables in their natural state – life is just so much more beautiful that way, rather than living like astronauts on a diet of “magic potions” and “nutritive pellets”.
And yes I do know how much money one would spend on produce as my diet consists of about 80% fruits and vegetables a day and I can tell you it is very cheap if I were to compare that with purchasing supplements.
Bottom line, as I have already stated in the article if someone cannot consume food for whatever reason or wants a quick boost and has weighed the risks and benefits for themselves, then Mona Vie I am sure can definitely help. But for the average person, in my opinion this is not a solution, as I said earlier we need to change our lifestyles to include long term, sustainable dietary changes that are based on wholesome, balanced food in the most natural state it can come in.
Hi.
I’ve just finished reading your article because I am concerned a little regarding the preservatives used in monavie. My wife and I have become distributors not long ago. We have been taking the product for about two weeks. We have noticed affects, sleepy and for myself shortness of breath. My throat is a little itchy causing me to have a dry cough. You mentioned that sodium benzoate can cause asthma like affect. Could this be the case with my shortness of breath? At first I had to take very deep breaths to breath normal. Now it’s calm down and isn’t as bad as a week ago.
I feel very disappointed at monavie because they could be using something else rather than this negative preservative.
Kind regards,
Fabian
Hi Fabian,
Thank you for inquiry.
Your cause for concern is well justified. Although I cannot say for sure that your shortness of breath has come from the Mona Vie, it appears however that there is a great chance that it has, especially if you have not experienced this before and have not changed anything else that you can think of in your diet and environment.
What is more interesting is that I found the following quote from the National Asthma Education Program Site (http://www.asthma.co.za/articles/ref13.htm) that states the following:
“Preservatives:
Sulphur dioxide and sodium benzoate often cause tight chests in individuals who have asthma. Many people also complain of a scratchy feeling at the back of their throats.”
I think that is pretty convincing evidence that what you are experiencing has to do with the Mona Vie.
See, the thing about preservatives and really any other chemicals is that different bodies handle them differently and one never really knows what one has a weakness to. Now, that is not to say that people who consume this preservative and have no effects are safe. In fact usually they do not realize the harm it is doing inside of their body. You on the other hand can consider yourself lucky, because your body is giving you immediate signs of warning.
Anyhow, if you are looking for an Acai berry juice and one that is pure and free of preservatives I highly recommend Arhtur’s Acai Plus Juice.
http://arthursjuice.com/ They are a Canadian based company that makes amazing juice combinations that are all very nutritious and completely additive free. (I will be reviewing this juice actually in October)
Another good juice to try for antioxidant effects is from POM http://www.pomwonderful.com/index.html
Their juices, although not Acai based are backed by medical research for being very high in antioxidants and preservative free.
Those are just 2 examples, but I am sure there are others.
As far as Mona Vie goes, I share your same disappointment. Like I said in the article, a company who stands for health, wellness and saving the environment should be a leader in natural and pure nutrition and not subjecting their customers to any toxins – no matter how large or small.
I just read this long series of exchanges which I found quite interesting and most important courteous and respectful.
I am also a distributor of Monavie (15months) and drink it everyday as well as my 2 kids and wife. I have not made the huge $ yet…but keep working at it and have to say that my overall experience is very positive from all angles. In 15 Months of sharing and promoting, Fabian’s experience is the very first I see where someone shares an adverse reaction to ingesting Monavie (but here again nothing proves scientifically that the source of the pb is Monavie).
I am a bit concerned with what I read about Sodium Benzoate and did not know that it would be a serious risk factor in some cases. Actually my sister in law, who is here with us for Thanksgiving, declined to use the Monavie Pulse yesterday that I brought specially for her because she has high cholesterol. She told me the reason is that it contains Sodium Benzoate. I didn’t make much of it until I read this blog
I remember when I joined Monavie I also questioned them for using any chemical at all in such a 100% natural “super fruit” juice and was answered that the reason is that Monavie could not control or be sure how the juice bottles would be stored after being shipped. Therefore they had no choice but to put a preservative to prevent risks of the juice turning bad.
So my question to Evita is simple: if a company who decides to make and sell a juice such as Monavie for those of us who are not disciplined enough to buy and eat our 10 to 13 fruits everyday, and if this company has to use a preservative to secure the long term quality of it, is there an safer or healthier alternative to Sodium Benzoate?
Thanks for sharing and I would like to make that suggestion to Monavie Corporate myself and will share their response on this blog.
Hi Thierry,
Thank you so much for your comment, question and experience with MonaVie.
Since writing this, I have done more research on just juice period and simply the whole idea of juice as a healthy food or substance has major drawbacks. Even aside from the sodium benzoate, there are other health concerns, where I could never promote this substance, even if it was sodium benzoate free.
So the first thing I want to clear up right away is some of the health and nutrition facts and that is, that you in no way have to or even want to eat 10-13 fruits a day. While fruit and vegetables are the top key foods we should be eating, it is about the vegetables first and foremost. Then fruits. Most health conscious people will eat on average 3-5 fruits a day. That I would say is a reasonable max. Any more than that, and you are living off of a fruit diet, which while there are fruititarians, unless that is the route you want to go, is not advisable for your blood sugar and other health areas. I am not sure if MonaVie told you that number, but if they have, that is just clever marketing to make it basically seem impossible for anyone to fulfill that, and hence make you feel that you need their juice.
So back to the whole juice idea…. when we eat whole, fresh fruits, we are getting the fiber (something missing in juice) and all of the amazing live enzymes, vitamins and minerals and phytonutrients the way nature intended. No bottled and preserved product can ever SUBSTITUTE that. Even though MonaVie is flash pasteurized and claims to use the whole fruit, again, enzymes are killed (they are very heat sensitive) and between freeze drying and then processing and then the pasteurization and then cooling, that is a lot of processing period that I don’t believe for a second can maintain the nutritional composition of the food.
I know many companies exist today and claim they have THE product to fix everything, but the truth is they don’t. We are kidding ourselves if we think we can eat a processed food diet, then drink this juice and everything will be okay. The Acai berry is an amazing fruit, but it will not solve our nutritional problems. And there are many other amazing fruits and vegetables and mushrooms and again, we can process and bottle them all we want, but this is not how our bodies know to get the most benefits from the food that is to sustain us and help us heal, grow, thrive, etc.. Plus, I know the idea behind MonaVie is that you can’t easily (if at all) get the fruits that they put in this juice. And my answer to that, is that you do not need to. We have an amazing array of beneficial fruits and vegetables in our grocery stores. Eating local is actually what our bodies are most set up for anyway.
In the end Thierry, I totally respect your decision whether you want to sell it or drink it, but honestly in my heart and conscience, I could never recommend a product like this for good health. It is a band-aid approach, just like 99% of the other things in our healthcare system and society today. Eating our fruits and vegetables is really not that hard. It just takes a choice – a decision. Just like we can make a choice to use this product, you can make the choice to make your own fruit/vegetable drink each morning, as a smoothie blended in a blender. It takes a few minutes and ensures you are getting the freshest, whole food the way mother nature intended. (And I only say blended as an option, as it is one of the best and fastest ways to get lots of fruits and veggies) Plus, it is wayyyyy cheaper.
But ultimately, going back to the sodium benzoate and an alternative…..they are already using citric acid, and this should normally be enough. Most juice companies just use this alone. But MonaVie adds in the Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate. Truthfully, I don’t work in the processed food industry and cannot honestly say what the best preservative would be. To me the whole idea is defeated IF a product needs a preservative. Natural preservatives are salt for example…. but obviously they are not going to add that. And even that can turn against us as we see in the processed food industry, with the ridiculous amounts of sodium in all processed food. Citric acid is semi-natural (although some people even have a problem with that) and again…. could this be enough?
If the product was sold in the stores, instead of through MLM…. I am sure it would be enough, and so in some ways they are very right, that they don’t know what people who sell this will do with it… ie. keep it in a warm, hot, direct sunlight, etc… environment.
So I wish I had an easy answer for you, but I don’t. I simply think the whole system and idea of the MonaVie is flawed, and on top of it all, puts a lot of pressure on you to sell a product that may not be the most beneficial for your and most people’s health. Sure there are worse things to eat and drink and this can be argued till forever, but my approach is simply to take things as natural as possible, because what we have in society today isn’t working, and make priorities for what is really important in our lives.
I hope this somewhat helps. I wish you the best along your health and wellness journey :)
Thank you Evita for such a prompt response.
If there is a spectrum of 1-100 in each, 1 would be the worse lifestyle involving fast food, processed food and total lack of food awareness and 100 would be the ultra health conscious people who only eat local produce, organic and no processed food ever….You probably may fit in the range from 80 to 100 and I would be probably in the 60-80 range.
In the end it is a question of personal choice and lifestyle and I also think you and I do agree on the fact that the more healthy choices the better for everyone including mother nature and the planet as a whole.
I say this because I got the impression that you seem to have a perhaps slightly biased opinion on the Monavie corpororation and on it’s distributors approach. For the sake of my personal piece of mind and love for truth, I just want to explain a few things which may restore some clarity.
Monavie does not promote a fruitarian diet, on the contrary, when we talk about Monavie we have to promote: Health Balance and Moderation when we talk about nutrition.
Monavie and ourselves as distributors are not supposed in any way shape or form to claim that we offer a substitute to eating real fruits and vegetables. Monavie is not a magic pill no a drug no a cure all or prevent all formula or quick fix. If some have said that, then they have misrepresented the company and the philosophy.
- What we can and do say is that” by drinking 4 ounces a day we give our body the same amount of Anti-oxidants as if we ate 13 servings of common fruits and vegetables”.
- We also say that the USDA recommends eating between 5 and 9 servings of Fruits and Vegetables a day and that probably more than 95% of the US population doesn’t do that. So that’s where the number 10-13 came from in my preceding comment.
Also regarding MLM: I can only tell you that I had no prior experience in MLM, I am a classic business owner in the Fashion industry for 20 years(importing children’s clothing to be exact under my corporation called Eurokids Inc). After studying and practicing the MLM or “network marketing” for over 12 months, I have to say that I found it to be the most fair, equitable, economical, transparent and efficient way to build a business and to distribute a product.
Short of explaining how and why in detail I can only say this: my Monavie bottles of juice are now free and cost me nothing. So this hype about Monavie being so expensive is not exactly accurate, because by sharing this juice with a few people anyone can get it for free. And by the way the real initial cost per bottle is not $45.00 but around $30.00. So why should I prefer to buy it in a traditional retail shop, pay a 50% retail markup, a 10% advertising campaign…and so many other costs which I will not pay by using the MLM channel of distribution?
Also how many product do we consume everyday ,and every month from Cable TV, Internet servers and health, life, auto, home insurance and are we able to get for free or even earn money with? Yes I sound perhaps a bit passionate about and if an organic fruit farm or the Arthur’s Acai juice you recommend or any other healthy and environment friendly product, energy source were being promoted and distributed via MLM, I would the first one to look into it and dedicate time to it.
The MLM industry has a 100 year history and has had probably fewer bad apples than any other industries, and when used properly it is a system that is virtuous and can steer us in a more responsible direction and move us us away from the domination of and dependence on so many multinationals and large corporation whose irresponsible practices and disingenuous behaviors are, in my opinion, greatly responsible for the sorry state of the world’s economy, our poor health, the skyrocketing increase of chronic illnesses and depletion of the planet resources in general. This is obviously another discussion that could move us away from the focus of this blog.
Thank you Thierry for sharing and adding in your views and experiences.