Frequently Asked Questions

This page sets out to answer some of YOUR questions about MonaVie™. The company, it’s products and the business potential you can be part of. Hopefully in time this section will grow as more of you ask questions. So, if you have any questions feel free to drop us a line and we’ll do our best to answer them.

1) Is MonaVie A Scam?

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   Isn’t Joining MonaVie™ as a Distributor just part of a Pyramid Scheme?

   If, like most people, you have looked up MonaVie recently in a search result on the internet you will have noticed that for as many websites promoting MonaVie and it’s products there is an equal number of websites claiming that MonaVie is nothing more than “Just a Scam” and it’s business model is founded on nothing more than a “Pyramid Scheme”.

   The rest of my answer is dedicated to explaining why it is NEITHER of the above. To continue, I will refer to MonaVie as a franchise. Just like owning a Starbucks® franchise, for example. Franchisee’s benefit from the direction and support of a respected and established company, Starbucks®. Selling product and retaining some of the proceeds. MonaVie is no different. As an independent Distributor, in essence, you become a MonaVie franchisee. Behind you is an established company willing to help you grow the MonaVie brand, to support you with marketing material and sales direction if you want it.

   MonaVie focuses on two objectives. 1. Selling it’s product via. independent distributors to customers who simply want to buy their product and 2., in parallel, attracting more independent distributors interested in selling it. Of course you can enjoy MonaVie products with no obligation what-so-ever to become an independent distributor. Like other network marketing companies there are no physical distribution centers. Instead, customers interested in buying MonaVie buy products from a network of independent distributors, which we, ourselves, are part of.

   MonaVie is often critisced as a pyramid scheme when people talk about it’s independent distribution network, Network Marketing, or another buzzword you may hear; Multi-Level Marketing (MLM). Unlike pyramid schemes though, MonaVie does not obligate you to part with ANY money to become an independent distributor. You simply signup, purchase as much or as little product (nothing if you want) as you’d like and sell it. It’s the core principal of ANY business model. Buy inventory (MonaVie product) and sell it. The real opportunity lies in attracting more distributors. Like any other business you want to attract distributors. A greater number of people distributing your product ultimately means more sales. MonaVie refers to this simply as PV or Product Volume. As an independent distributor you are compensated on your PV so naturally growing your own network of independent distributors benefits you directly.

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   Yeah! but doesn’t it cost me money to become an independent distributor?

   No. You can sign up as an independent distributor and not purchase a thing. Simply continue to signup other distributors, generate interest in the product and only when you feel comfortable, when you have a customer base interested in buying MonaVie then, then you purchase a shipment for resale.

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   Isn’t Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) Just Another Fancy Term for Pyramid Scheme?

   No. There are hundreds of MLM opportunities worldwide. Building a sales and distribution network is fundamental to any business, but the benefits of MLM over traditional businesses is bricks and mortar. Companies have to expend income on locations, utilities, equipment, staff. With an MLM structure there is none of that. There have been many reputable and successful MLM schemes. Avon, Tupperware and The Pampered Chef are great examples. Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, one of the world's richest and seasoned business men acquired The Pampered Chef in 2002. MLM's have huge profit potential.

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   Isn't Monavie Just a Sham

   Again, no. Monavie was founded by Dallin A. Larsen in January 2005 and 4 years later has totalled almost $1 billion in sales. This year it made it into Inc.500 as one of the fastest growing private companies in the US. You can read the article here: Monavie in Inc.500 (7.92Mb). Monavie has a network of millions of independent distributors and a marketing presence in the form of R3Global to really help maximize brand awareness

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   I hear You Can Buy Monavie Cheaper On eBay. Is this true?

   Not true, Now that we have our preferred customer program you can purchase MonaVie at the same price as distributors. Besides why would you want to buy on eBay? Are you sure what you're buying still within it's expiration date? Its against MonaVie's policy to buy or sell on Ebay and MonaVie will fight to have accounts of not only sellers but buyers accounts closed down for breaking this policy. eBay always comply's, dont risk your eBay account when you can buy as a preferred customer for the same price and always have fresh product.

2) The Açaí Berry

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   What is Açaí?

   Acai is a small, round, dark-purple berry with amazing nutritional properties. Its appearance is similar to that of a grape, but it has a smaller amount of pulp and a single large seed. Scientific experts have referred to the acai berry as the most nutritious and powerful food in the world.

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   What is MonaVie?

   MonaVie is a delicious and energizing blend of the Brazilian açai berry—one of nature’s top super-foods—and other nutrient dense fruits. Developed with the philosophy Balance-Variety-Moderation, MonaVie delivers the phytonutrients and antioxidants you need to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

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   Where does Açaí grow?

   The acai berry grows in clusters on the acai palm, a genus of 25–30 species of palms native to tropical Central and South America. These tall, slender, and attractive palms can grow 15–30 meters tall, with leaves up to 3 meters long. The prime commercial source of acai comes from the area where several rivers converge within the Amazon estuary, emptying along the northeastern corner of Brazil into the Atlantic Ocean between the states of Para and Amapa. The people of Brazil refer to acai as the “Milk of the Amazon.”

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   Does harvesting the Açaí berry destroy the Amazon rainforest?

   No. In fact, MonaVie is helping to preserve the Amazon rainforest by harvesting the acai berry. Each week, poachers illegally chop down 5,000–10,000 palm trees to obtain and sell a 12-inch section of the palm known as the “palmito.” As a result, the entire tree dies. On the other hand, by harvesting the acai berry, the palm tree continues to thrive and the natives have an incentive to preserve the acai-bearing palm tree. It is estimated that in 2006, MonaVie, by buying the acai berry from Brazilian suppliers, will preserve over 250,000 acai palm trees.

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   What fruits are contained in MonaVie products?

   In addition to the açai berry, MonaVie products contain white grape, nashi pear, acerola, pear, aronia, purple grape, cranberry, passion fruit, banana, apricot, prune, kiwi, blueberry, bilberry, camu camu, wolfberry, pomegranate, and lychee fruit.

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   Why does the Açaí berry seem to get more attention than the other healthful fruits in MonaVie?

   While all the fruits contained in MonaVie have unique properties that benefit your body, the acai berry has become the “headliner” fruit because it is packed with nutritional value—proteins, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals. It also has a low glycemic index. So complete is this berry that the Brazilian people living along the Amazon can survive on it as their sole source of food and demonstrate amazing vitality and energy. More important than this, however, is the impressive amount of phytonutrients that MonaVie is able to capture from the acai berry.

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   Does Açaí have a high ORAC score?

   Yes, with an ORAC score of 1,027, the acai used in MonaVie boasts the highest ORAC score of any fruit or vegetable tested to date. The acai fruit is the star among other well-known antioxidants, such as blueberries, grapes, red wine, green tea, cranberries, blackberries, and pomegranates. By comparison, acai has more than 10 times the antioxidant power of cranberries.

   

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   What does ORAC mean?

   An acronym for oxygen radical absorption capacity, ORAC is a way to measure the antioxidant capacity of a food. Foods with high ORAC values are desirable for their ability to inhibit free radical activity. The ORAC measurement was developed by a scientist at the National Institute of Aging in 1992 and has proven to be a valuable tool in quantifying health benefits associated with consuming fruits, vegetables, and other antioxidant-containing foods and supplements.

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   What are antioxidants?

   Antioxidants are “agents” that inhibit harmful compounds known as free radicals. Free radicals cause damage to your cells through the process of oxidation. By donating an electron to unstable free radicals, antioxidants neutralize their harmful effects. Obtaining a variety of antioxidants through diet or supplementation is essential to maintaining your good health.

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    What are free radicals?

    Free radicals are atoms with at least one unpaired electron. In excess, free radicals produce harmful oxidation that can damage cell membranes. Free radicals are analogous to cattle let loose on a field of planted crops. Uncontrolled, the cattle would destroy the crops. Ranch hands are hired to make sure the cattle stay in place and graze. Antioxidants act much the same way. As the ranch hands for our bodies, antioxidants prevent free radicals from potentially damaging millions of healthy, functioning cells.

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    How much acai is contained in MonaVie products?

    Because MonaVie product formulas are proprietary, the exact amount of acai or the other fruits contained in our blend is not disclosed.

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    Is MonaVie’s acai certified organic?

    Yes. The acai used by MonaVie is certified organic through The Institute for Marketecology (IMO). IMO is one of the first and most renowned international agencies for inspection, certification, and quality assurance of eco-friendly products. IMO’s worldwide activities are accredited by the Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS), according to EN 45011 (ISO 65), which is the international standard for organic certification.

3) Phytonutrients

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   What are phytonutrients and where are they found?

   The term "phyto" originated from a Greek word meaning plant. Phytonutrients are certain organic components of plants, and these components are thought to promote human health. Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and teas are rich sources of phytonutrients. Unlike the traditional nutrients (protein, fat, vitamins, minerals), phytonutrients are not "essential" for life, so some people prefer the term "phytochemical".

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   What are the Major Classes of Phytonutrients?

   Some of the common classes of phytonutrients include:
   • Carotenoids
   • Flavonoids (Polyphenols) including Isoflavones (Phytoestrogens)
   • Inositol Phosphates (Phytates)
   • Lignans (Phytoestrogens)
   • Isothiocyanates and Indoles
   • Phenols and Cyclic Compounds
   • Saponins
   • Sulfides and Thiols
   • Terpenes
   About Carotenoids
   Of all the phytonutrients, we probably know the most about carotenoids, the red, orange and yellow pigments in fruits and vegetables. The carotenoids most commonly found in vegetables (and in plasma) are listed below along with common sources of these compounds. Fruits and vegetables that are high in carotenoids appear to protect humans against certain cancers, heart disease and age related macular degeneration.
   For a more detailed discussion of carotenoid content of fruits and vegetables see Chug-Ahuja et al, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 1993;93:318 and Mangels et al. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 1993;93:284-296. For carotenoid values of specific foods see the USDA-NCC Carotenoid Database for U.S. Foods on the website of the Nutrient Database Laboratory.

   About Polyphenols
   Polyphenolic compounds are natural components of a wide variety of plants; they are also known as secondary plant metabolites. Food sources rich in polyphenols include onion, apple, tea, red wine, red grapes, grape juice, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and certain nuts. The average polyphenol / flavonoid intake in the U.S. has not been determined with precision, in large part, because there is presently no U.S. national food database for these compounds. (USDA scientists and their colleagues are in the process of developing a database for foods rich in polyphenols.) It has been estimated that in the Dutch diet a subset of flavonoids (flavonols and flavones) provide 23 mg per day. Earlier estimates of dietary intake that approximated 650 mg per day (Kuhnau, World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics, 1976;24:117) are generally thought to be too high as the estimate was based on data that were generated by "old" (less specific) methodology. Scientists at the Food Composition Laboratory, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center are currently developing new methodology for the accurate measurement of polyphenols in foods.
   Polyphenols can be classified as non-flavonoids and flavonoids. The flavonoids quercetin and catechins are the most extensively studied polyphenols relative to absorption and metabolism.

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   How do phytonutrients protect against disease?

   The following are commonly proposed mechanisms by which phytonutrients may protect human health. More research is needed to firmly establish the mechanisms of action of the various phytochemicals.
   Phytonutrients may:
   • serve as antioxidants
   • enhance immune response
   • enhance cell-to-cell communication
   • alter estrogen metabolism
   • convert to vitamin A (beta-carotene is metabolized to vitamin A)
   • cause cancer cells to die (apoptosis)
   • repair DNA damage caused by smoking and other toxic exposures
   • detoxify carcinogens through the activation of the cytocrome P450 and Phase II enzyme systems

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   What is the evidence that fruit and vegetable consumption protects human health?

   Evidence that fruit and vegetable consumption protects human health is accumulating from large population (epidemiological) studies, human feeding studies, and cell culture studies. Listed below are a few selected population studies from the literature linking fruit and vegetable consumption to health. For an excellent review concerning vegetables, fruit and cancer prevention, see Steinmetz and Potter, Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1996;96:1027.

   Evidence that Carotenoids are Protective
   Fruit and vegetable consumption has been linked to decreased risk of stroke -- both hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. Each increment of three daily servings of fruits and vegetables equated to a 22% decrease in risk of stroke, including transient ischemic attack (Gillman et al. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1995;273;1113).
   Elderly men whose intake of dark green and deep yellow vegetable put them in the highest quartile for consumption of these vegetables had about a 46% decrease in risk of heart disease relative to men who ranked in the lowest quartile. Men in the highest quintile had about a 70% lower risk of cancer than did their counterparts in the lowest quintile. The differences in vegetable consumption between high and low intake rankings was not striking. Men in the highest quartile or quintile consumed more than two (>2.05 and >2.2) servings of dark green or deep yellow vegetable a day; those in the lowest quartile or quintile consumed less than one serving daily (<0.8 and <0.7). This suggests that small, consistent changes in vegetable consumption can make important changes in health outcomes (Gaziano et al. Annals of Epidemiology 1995;5:255 and Colditz et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1985;41:32).

   Consumption of tomato products has been linked to decreased risk of prostate cancer. Men in the highest quintile for consumption of tomato products (10 or more servings a week) had about a 35% decrease in risk of prostate cancer compared to counterparts whose consumption put them in the lowest quintile (1.5 or fewer servings of tomato products a week) (Giovannucci et al. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1995;87:1767).
   People in the highest quintile for consumption of spinach or collard greens, plants high in the carotenoid lutein, had a 46% decrease in risk of age-related macular degeneration compared to those in the lowest quintile who consumed these vegetables less than once per month (Seddon et al. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1994;272:1413).
   Evidence that Polyphenols are Protective
   Flavonoid consumption has been linked to lower risk of heart disease in some, but not all, studies. Elderly Dutch men in the highest tertile of flavonoid intake had a risk of heart disease that was about 58% lower than that of counterparts in the lowest tertile of intake. Those in the lowest tertile consumed 19 mg or less of flavonoids per day, whereas those in the highest tertile consumed approximately 30 mg per day or more (Hertog et al. Lancet. 1993;342:1007). Similarly, Finnish subjects with the highest quartile of flavonoid intake had a risk of mortality from heart disease that was about 27% (for women) and 33% (form men) lower than that of those in the lowest quartile (Knekt et al. British Medical Journal. 1996;312:478).
   However, in other studies the protective effect of flavonoids could not be confirmed. For Welch men, flavonol intake did not predict a lower rate of ischemic heart disease and was weakly positively associated with ischemic heart disease mortality (Hertog et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1997;65:1489). For U.S. male health professionals, data did not support a strong link between intake of flavonoids and coronary heart disease (Rimm et al. Annals of Internal Medicine. 1996;125:384).

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   Are Americans Eating Enough Fruits and Vegetables?

   An excellent source of information on fruit, vegetable and grain intake of Americans is USDA's 1994/96 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals conducted by the Food Surveys Research Group, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center. The following information comes from that survey.

   About Vegetable Intake

   On average, Americans consume 3.3 servings of vegetables a day. However, dark green vegetables and deep yellow vegetables each represent only 0.2 daily servings.

   On any given day, about 49% of the population consumes at least the minimum number of servings of vegetables recommended (3 servings per day); 41% consume the number of servings recommended based on caloric intake (3 servings per day for those consuming less than 2200 calories, 4 servings per day for those consuming 2200-2800 calories, 5 servings per day for those consuming 2800 calories or more). About 10% of the population consumes less than one serving of vegetable per day.
   About Fruit Intake

   On any given day about 29% of the population consumes at least the minimum number of servings of fruit recommended (2 servings per day); 24% consume the number of servings recommended based on caloric intake (2 servings per day for those consuming less than 2200 calories, 3 for those consuming 2800 calories, 4 for those consuming 2800 calories or more). About 48% consume less than one serving of fruit a day.

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   What is the Present Status of the Art of Phytonutrients Research?

   Population studies have linked fruit and vegetable consumption with lowering the risk for chronic diseases including specific cancers and heart disease. However, media and consumer interest in phytonutrients and functional foods is far ahead of established proof that documents the health benefits of these foods or food components for humans. Phytonutrients research is experiencing remarkable growth. Hopefully, more specific information on phytonutrient consumption and human health will be forthcoming in the near future. For now, it appears that an effective strategy for reducing risk of cancer and heart disease is to increase consumption of phytonutrient-rich foods including fruits, vegetables, grains and teas.

4) The Science Of MonaVie – Coming Soon

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