Juice Plus+ has some research behind it, but the evidence is weaker than the marketing suggests. The supplement contains dried fruit, vegetable, and berry powders in capsule form, and while a handful of studies show changes in certain blood markers, none have demonstrated that taking Juice Plus+ actually prevents disease or improves long-term health outcomes. At $80 per month for the full three-blend set, it’s also significantly more expensive than most multivitamins or simply eating more produce.
What Juice Plus+ Actually Contains
Juice Plus+ comes in three capsule blends. The Orchard Blend is made from fruit juice powders, the Garden Blend from vegetable juice powders, and the Vineyard Blend from grape and berry juice powders. The raw juices are reduced to powder through a proprietary dehydration process handled by a third-party supplier. The company also sells soft chewable gummies and protein shake powders under the Complete line.
The products are NSF-certified under Guideline 229 for functional foods, which means an independent lab has verified that what’s on the label matches what’s in the capsule. That’s a legitimate mark of quality control, and it puts Juice Plus+ ahead of many supplements that skip third-party testing entirely. However, the products do not carry NSF Certified for Sport status, which involves stricter screening for banned substances.
The gummy versions contain about 4 grams of added sugar per serving, which is modest but worth noting if you’re watching sugar intake across multiple daily supplements.
What the Studies Actually Show
Juice Plus+ does have published research, which is more than many supplement brands can claim. A study in The Journal of Nutrition found that people taking the dried fruit and vegetable concentrate for 77 days had a 30% increase in a type of immune cell called gamma-delta T cells and a 40% reduction in DNA damage in white blood cells compared to a placebo group. The supplement group also tended to report fewer cold symptoms, though the difference didn’t quite reach statistical significance.
Other research from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s database notes that the supplement has been associated with reduced oxidative stress, improved immune markers in elderly smokers and nonsmokers, and modest reductions in cold symptom duration. One longer study in trained men found improvements in several markers of oxidative stress and immunity over 28 weeks.
These findings sound promising in isolation. The problem is what they don’t tell you.
Why the Evidence Falls Short
The most pointed criticism comes from researchers at McGill University, who note three major problems with the Juice Plus+ evidence base. First, most of the studies were funded by the manufacturer, which introduces a well-documented bias toward positive results. Second, the studies are generally small and measure changes in blood chemistry rather than actual health outcomes like fewer hospitalizations, lower disease rates, or longer life. A shift in an immune marker doesn’t automatically mean you’re healthier.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, the studies compare Juice Plus+ to a placebo, not to the obvious alternatives. No published research has compared Juice Plus+ capsules to a standard multivitamin or to simply eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. That’s the comparison that actually matters for someone deciding how to spend their money. A powder made from fruits and vegetables will predictably outperform a sugar pill on nutrient-related blood markers. The real question is whether it outperforms a $10 multivitamin or a bag of frozen broccoli and a couple of apples.
McGill’s analysis also flags that the doctors appearing in Juice Plus+ promotional videos have been paid for their endorsements, which is common in supplement marketing but worth keeping in mind when evaluating their enthusiasm.
Nutrients That Protect Cells
The types of nutrients found in Juice Plus+ do have genuine biological value. A large systematic review of randomized controlled trials found that vitamins A, C, and E, along with B vitamins like folate and B12, and minerals like selenium and zinc, are associated with reduced DNA damage in humans. Plant compounds like lycopene and proanthocyanidins also showed protective effects. These nutrients work through two main pathways: supporting DNA repair and reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
None of that is unique to Juice Plus+, though. These same nutrients are available through a varied diet rich in colorful fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. They’re also present in far less expensive supplement options. The question isn’t whether these nutrients matter. It’s whether this particular delivery system is worth the premium.
The Cost Problem
A subscription to all three Juice Plus+ capsule blends (fruit, vegetable, and berry) costs $80 per month, billed as a four-month commitment totaling $320. That’s roughly $960 per year.
For context, a quality multivitamin with third-party testing typically runs $15 to $30 per month. The difference in annual cost could buy a substantial amount of actual produce. A family spending an extra $700 to $800 per year on fruits and vegetables would see far more dietary variety, fiber, and overall nutritional benefit than any capsule can provide. Whole foods contain thousands of compounds that work together in ways that isolated powders cannot fully replicate, including fiber, which is largely removed during the juice extraction and dehydration process.
Who Might Benefit
Juice Plus+ isn’t harmful, and for someone who genuinely cannot or will not eat fruits and vegetables, getting some plant-derived nutrients in capsule form is better than getting none at all. Frequent travelers, people with severe texture aversions, or those going through periods where cooking feels impossible might find a concentrated supplement fills a temporary gap.
But it’s not a substitute for real produce, and the company’s marketing sometimes blurs that line. The capsules don’t contain meaningful fiber, they lack the full spectrum of compounds found in whole foods, and no study has shown they deliver the same benefits as eating the fruits and vegetables they’re derived from. If your budget allows for either Juice Plus+ or more groceries, the groceries win every time.