ComparativeGuide.com

1. Do you have a comparision of:
• Juice Plus
• Seasilver
• Noni Juice
• Xango
2. Could a product be listed under another name?
3. Know a Product you want Analyzed?
4. Explanation of the Graphs (third edition)
• What are the flags for?
• What do the stars really mean?
• What do the numbers below the graphs refer to?
• How much is in each reference standard?
• What do the red and yellow bars represent?
• What is the Final Product Score

Juice Plus We are unable to complete a comparison of food products, including Juice Plus, Seasilver, Noni Juice, Xango and other foods, because no documentation of the amount of nutrients is available. Companies producing these products have no way to control the exact amount of vitamin C and other nutrients in each batch of the product, since it is created from actual fruit, which will vary in its composition due to weather, ripeness, soil conditions and other environmental factors. Based on the available nutrition information for these products, they would not even register against our Blended Standard. To inlcude them in our work would not be appropriate.

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Could a product be listed under another name? Many products have changed names, or merged with other companies. Also, many brand names are actually marketed by another company. If you don't see a product in the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements or in the Udpates Centre, check our Alternate Names list (you must be a member of the Updates Centre) to see if we've listed it under a different name than you are expecting.

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Know of a Product you want Analyzed? We will be adding to this section regularly, so if you know of a product that you would like us to analyze, please contact our research department. Provided we can obtain the necessary information needed to complete the analysis, we will include your requested comparison in our research for the next edition of the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. We may, if there is sufficient demand for a particular product, conduct a comparison immediately and post the results in our online store for purchase.

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Explanation of the graphs From time to time we are contacted with requests to provide an explanation of the graphs included in our Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements and, in particular, to explain the significance of the 5-star scales. A correct interpretation of the graphs is, of course, critical in understanding and communicating to others the value of the product comparisons found in our publication. The graphs and their accompanying 5-star scales provide a wealth of information, which can be used to demonstrate the relative quality of the products included in our compendium.

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What are the flags for? At the top of each graph is a flag, denoting the country of origin of the particular formulation. Many companies have multiple products marketed in more than one country, and only that product is represented in the printed Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements which received the highest Nutrient Profile Score, denoted by the 5-star scale. The downloadable PDF (Adobe Acrobat) files in our Updates Centre include all the products that we have completed a comparison for.

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What do the stars really mean? The 5-star Nutrient Profile Score is depicted by red stars and is displayed in half-star increments. The scale is intuitive: products of exceptional quality will rate the highest number of stars. Products of lower relative quality, according to the analysis criteria, will merit fewer stars, if any at all. The criteria examined include:

1. Completeness - Does the product contain the full spectrum of nutrients listed in the Blended Standard and considered essential for optimal health? 
2. Potency - Of those nutrients in the product, what percent are found at potency levels meeting or exceeding 50 percent of the potency for those nutrients in the Blended Standard?
3. Bioavailability - Does the product contain minerals in their most bioavailable forms as amino acid chelates or organic acid complexes?
4. Bioactivity of Vitamin E - Does the product contain only the d-isomer of vitamin E (the natural, biologically active form of alpha tocopherol) or does the product use the d/l isomers of vitamin E (a synthetic form, where the biological activity is about one-half [or less] of the natural vitamin E)?
5. Cardiac Health Triad - Does the product contain vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and magnesium, three nutritional components important to cardiac health, at potencies that meet or exceed 50 percent of the Blended Standard?
6. Homocysteine Reduction Triad - Does the product contain the nutritional triad of vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid, at levels meeting or exceeding 50 percent of the Blended Standard?
7. Bone Health Complex - Does the product contain the nutrients shown by clinical studies to be important for optimal bone health (vitamin D, vitamin K, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, boron, calcium, magnesium, silicon and zinc) at potencies equal to or exceeding 50 percent of the potencies listed in the Blended Standard?
8. Antioxidant Triad - Does the product contain the important antioxidant triad of vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene at potencies equal to or exceeding 50 percent of the potencies listed in the Blended Standard?
9. Glutathione Support - Does the product contain the nutritional precursors necessary for glutathione synthesis and the proper functioning of the Glutathione Peroxidase Pathway, at potencies equal to or exceeding 50 percent of the potencies listed in the Blended Standard?
10. Metabolic Support - Does the product contain the nutrients necessary to help regulate glucose metabolism and support the body's ability to generate, store and utilize energy, and are these nutrients available at potencies equal to or exceeding 50 percent of the potencies listed in the Blended Standard?
11. Bioflavonoid Profile - Does the product contain a mixture of bioflavonoids (citrus flavonoids, soy isoflavones, quercetin, quercitrin, hesperidin, rutin, bilberry extract and green tea catechins,) and proanthocyanidins at potencies that meet or exceed 50 percent of the combined recommended potencies for PCOs and mixed bioflavonoids in the Blended Standard?
12. Phenolic Compound Profile - Does the product contain phenolic compounds (polyphenolic acids and their derivatives, including curcumin) at a potency level recently established in the literature (25 mg) that has been associated with a reduced incidence of coronary heart disease?
13. Lipotropic Factors - Does the product contain the important lipotropic factors, choline (including phosphatidylcholine) and inositol, at levels meeting or exceeding 50 percent of the Blended Standard?
14. Potential Toxicities - Does the nutritional supplement contain levels of vitamin A and iron that exceed 100% of the Blended Standard?

For a detailed explanation of how the Nutrient Profile Score was developed, please refer to Chapter Seventeen of the third edition of the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements.

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What do the numbers below the graphs refer to? Each bar in the graph is numbered, from 1 to 39. The numbers refer to the identity of each nutrient in the accompanying graphs. For example, nutrient #35 is potassium. Refer to the Blended Standard table at the top of each page to see which nutrient is represented. In the Blended Standard table, the recommended intake of each nutrient is listed.

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How much is in each reference standard? The Blended Standard amounts were developed from the recommendations of our seven cited nutritional authorities, including medical doctors, nutritionists and researchers who have earned a reputation as an expert in the field in their published works. Brief notes about each can be found in Chapter Seventeen of the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements, third edition. 

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What do the red and yellow bars mean? The red and yellow bars in each product graph represent those nutrients present in the product that may, over a long period of time, have cumulative toxicity risks. If the product contains a potentially toxic nutrient at below 100 percent of the Blended Standard amount, the bar is yellow. If it is included at over 100 percent of the Blended Standard amount, the bar shows red above the 100 percent mark. The percentage scales on the vertical axis of each graph represent the level of each nutrient, as a percent of the particular reference standard.

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What is the Final Product Score? The Final Product Score is an index score for each product, derived from the Nutrient Profile Score for that product, and is based on a maximum value of 1.0. To place a perfect score a product would need to score 5 points (depicted as stars) on each scale. On page 37 of the 2nd edition of the Comparative Guide, the Top 25 All Star Performers are shown, each with their respective Final Product Score. Appendices A and B provide a comprehensive list of the Final Product Scores for the 254 products reviewed. All products are listed alphabetically as well as by Final Product Score.

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