eXfuze Review Part II: Seven+ Hours of My Life That I’ll Never Get Back

Posted By elissa on Jan 18, 2011 | 9 comments

This is a continuation of two earlier posts: “I Love the Smell of Plagiarism in the Morning,” and “eXfuze Review Part I: Some Background.”

As you can tell from the title, this post concerns eXfuze’s “Seven+ Classic” drink. You can probably also tell that I did not particularly enjoy writing it. I had to sort through a lot of literature in the process – a time-and-brain sucking task. 

Now would-be purchasers might think that’s a good sign: lookit all that research!!! Problem is, the vast majority of it is in-vitro – on isolated cells or tissues – which tells us very little about what happens when you swallow, digest and metabolize the stuff. Likewise, studies using rats and mice typically expose them to high concentrations of (mostly) non-commercial preparations. So many of these – provocative though they often were, don’t necessarily represent the reality of drinking Seven+ either. In truth, most of my searching was for human studies… which – not surprisingly – weren’t too plentiful.

That being said, let’s take a gander at those seven extracts in Seven+ to see what I was able to conclude. 

eXfuze describes the first ingredient, brown seaweed, in lyrical terms:

Brown Seaweed Extract

Rooted in the pristine, sparkling waters of the South Pacific is an astonishing Brown Seaweed. This miraculous plant has been cherished by the Southern Pacific cultures for centuries. They attribute their long lives and glowing health to this plant. Warm, clear waters produce this amazing sea vegetable in abundance, and it is the most heralded food in the East. Its secret? A nutrient called Fucoidan. Modern science marvels at how closely its nutrition resembles human breast milk.

The nutritional profile of brown seaweed resembles human breast milk? I had noooo idea that seaweed contained whey proteins or casein; nor that mother’s milk contained chloroplasts and alginates. I learn something new every day! 😀

But seriously… it’s nutritious, but among other things, it’s limiting in tryptophan, which would NOT be good for human infants.

At any rate, the brown seaweed used in Seven+ is Laminaria japonica, a species of kelp commonly used as a food in China, Japan and other southeast Asian countries. It’s also used for the industrial production of alginates. According to eXfuze, the key ingredient in brown seaweed is fucoidan.

And so it is… Fucoidans are a group of biologically-active sulfated polysaccharides. There’s an expanding body of clinical research on fucoidans, although – as I noted at the top – the vast majority of it is in-vitro, on cultured cells and/or tissues.

Some animal studies exist, too… and eXfuze even points us to one on the company’s “Science of eXtracts” page: “A comparative study of the anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antiangiogenic, and antiadhesive activities of nine different fucoidans from brown seaweeds.” In this study, fucoidans exhibited anti-inflammatory activity in rats… but the fucoidans were administered intravenously – NOT orally. And the other study linked on the eXfuze site (on the protective effects of fucoidan on carbon tetrachloride-treated rats) used a large, 100mg/kg dose. Fine, I suppose, but neither study predicts much of anything about what the fucoidan in Seven+ will do for you… if anything.

(As a side note: you can already see some of the problems in the references eXfuze provides visitors to its web site. They appear to be largely grabbed at random, to “prove” that each ingredient does something good.)

Now swallowed fucoidan can be detected in human blood, but it takes a fairly decent-sized dose of fairly pure stuff to detect it. So this raises the question: how much fucoidan is in a serving of Seven+? Since the extract used isn’t standardized for fucoidan (unlike many commercial supplement extracts), and the amount of extract is unknown… there’s really NO way to tell.

Acai Palm Fruit – Acai is pretty well-covered in the “Vitamins/Minerals” section, so there’s little need to go into depth here. Suffice it to say that, like the new “best ever” superfruit, maqui, acai is a Brazilian berry that’s a rich source of anthocyanins. Anthocyanins give dark-colored fruits like blueberries their color and contribute substantially to their (in-vitro) antioxidant punch and (potential) health benefits.

Unlike many other acai-based products, however, Seven+ does not contain acai juice or puree. Rather, it contains “acai palm fruit extract.” This raises similar questions to the ones I raised about brown seaweed extract… What solvent was the extracted with (water? ethanol?)? Was it standardized for anthocyanin content? Is its antioxidant activity damaged by processing?

As noted in the US Pharmacopeia, botanical “extracts” are typically prepared to prescribed standards. It would be good to know what the standards were for the acai extract used in Seven+.

Heck, it would be good to know about the standards used for ALL of the extracts in Seven+. Unfortunately, the folks at eXfuze ain’t talkin. This is the gist of what the company has to say about it:

In the Seven+ products, careful consideration was given in the selection of the source ingredients so that the maximum nutrient content was achieved from a wide spectrum of plants…eXfuze uses a natural, environmentally conscious process to extract essential ingredients for our Seven+ products. The products are designed to preserve as large a percentage of the whole essence of nature as possible. To do this, we use a proprietary extraction process that results in a highly-concentrated liquid containing the power of the entire plant.

Ok, riddle me this, Batman… if the “maximum nutrient content” was realized for all these plants, why is there no listing for Vitamin C content on the label, despite the fact that some of the ingredients are – in fact – decent sources of this (antioxidant) nutrient (*cough* sea buckthorn *cough*)? While the lack of Vitamin C isn’t surprising ( a bottled, shelf-stable juice is going to be heat-treated, and Vitamin C is destroyed by heat), it belies the claim of “maximum nutrient content” in Seven+.

Anyway… to return to acai, processing destroys certain nutrients, which is why – at times I’ve purchased the stuff – I’ve used the flash frozen puree packs from Sambazon. Take it from this Food Science major: the farther away you get from nature, the more that will be left behind.

Goji Berry – Ironically, goji is one of the few popular “superfruits” that actually merits the title, according the “The Berry Doctor,” Paul M. Gross, Ph.D. 

Goji – which is also known as “wolfberry” – is a traditional medicinal plant in China. The fruit contains a range of highly branched polysaccharides known collectively as “LBP” (Lycium barbarum polysaccharides), as well as carotenoids, vitamin C and flavonoids such as quercetin and kaempferol. These components contribute to the fruit’s in-vitro antioxidant activity, as well as its reputed health effects.

Although most of the research is either in-vitro or in animal models, Goji is one of the few superfruits to have some human clinical trials behind it. For example, one recent study found that there were increases in plasma zeaxanthin (a carotenoid) and improvement in macular degeneration in elderly patients receiving “Lacto-Wolfberry,” a commercial goji berry formula. Another found that 120ml/day “GoChi” – a proprietary goji berry juice – modestly increased endogenous antioxidant levels and decreased lipid peroxidation.

So again… I’m forced to ask: what is in – or NOT in – the goji berry extract used in Seven+? What sort of dose of carotenoids or LBPs are customers getting? The potential benefits of large doses don’t necessarily imply benefits at much smaller doses… as the author of this recent review points out:

While the clinical efficacy is not yet established, various extracts, fractions and purified constituents were shown to exhibit interesting pharmacological properties in vitro and in vivo suggesting that they may be beneficial for the prevention and the treatment of age-related disorders. However, some of the activities were detected at very high concentrations only, and these studies should be considered with caution.

No such caution is on display on the eXfuze web site, where goji is credited with extending the lifespans of “generations” of Himalayans. But even if this were true, it doesn’t follow that a few milligrams (?) of extract in a processed, diluted liquid product would be the equivalent of consuming the whole, fresh fruit (not to mention other parts of the plant used for medicinal purposes) on a regular basis.

Noni – otherwise known as Morinda citrifolia, Noni helped to kick off the whole “superfruit” craze a few years ago. Although the eXfuze web site refers delicately to its “distinctive flavor and aroma,” local names for Noni such as “vomit fruit” and “dog dumpling” lend credence to negative reports about the taste and smell. Despite its inflated reputation, Dr. Gross gave Noni a lowly 7 on his 25 point “superfruit” scale. Why for?

With noni, its foul odor and taste resulted in a 0 on sensory appeal, with low scores on nutrient content and phytochemical content (isolated phytochemicals and polysaccharides, vitamin C, fiber). Also, there is a lack of basic and clinical research, with slow progress on exploring its potential health effects.

I can’t argue with his reasoning.

There is one provocative human study that indicates noni may offer some benefits to smokers. These researchers found that subjects who drank 1 – 4 ounces of straight noni juice had reduced levels of aromatic DNA adducts – an early indicator of cancer risk.

Cool, eh? Except this benefit may not be unique to noni… blueberry-apple juice can reduce DNA adducts, too. 😉

So how does noni extract compare to the real thing in vivo? How much are users getting in Seven+? Does it do any good? Who knows?

Mangosteen – this is another “superfruit” that gets low marks (9 out of 25) from Dr. Gross.

Mangosteen scored high on popularity and sensory appeal, but was hampered by the sparse nutrient content, lack of medical research and clinical applications. It does have high levels of certain anthocyanins, xanthones and tannins, but only in the inedible rind; some companies have extracted those compounds to add in to consumer products.

LOL – it’s the rind that has most of the good stuff! This is affirmed by one of the reviews eXfuze links to on its web site. Yet it’s completely unclear what the mangosteen extract used in Seven+ comes from. Is it the fruit? Pericarp? Leaves? Does it contain “alpha-, beta-, and gamma-mangostins, garcinone E, 8-deoxygartanin, and gartanin” – which are the best studied xanthones? If so, how much? If not, why not? High quality, standardized products like XanoMax® exist, after all… why wasn’t one used?

Gac – “Gac” is Momordica cochinchinensis (spiny bitter gourd), an Asian vegetable.  Gac seeds are also used as a source of food dye due to their high carotenoid content. The fruit is also high in beta-carotene. Unfortunately, studies on the potential immune-boosting effects of the seed and/or fruit have only been performed in animals and cell/tissue cultures.

I did run across one human study on the efficacy of Gac as a source of provitamin A for enriching children’s diets.  It appeared to be quite useful for this. Under the circumstances, it’s curious that Seven+ lists no vitamin A content… either the Gac extract used failed to capture the “power of the entire plant;” or else the amount of Gac in Seven+ must be low, indeed.

Sea Buckthorn – also known as “seaberry,” it’s a Eurasian shrub bearing orange, egg-shaped berries. The Vitamin C-rich fruit is used for jellies, juices and liqueurs, while the pulp and seeds are used as a source of medicinal oil. Sea buckthorn fruit also contains a range of phenolics, lignans and essential fatty acids.

Once again, human studies are few and far between, although one indicates sea buckthorn has blood sugar/insulin modulating activity, while another suggests it also has anti-inflammatory effects.

I sound like a broken record on this I’m sure, but once again I have to ask: how is the sea buckthorn extract in Seven+ prepared? Is it standardized for anything? How much is present?

Sigh…

This is one particular instance where silence is NOT golden! None of the above ingredients looks bad… in fact, they all look like they could be fine and healthful. The devil is ALWAYS in the details, however, and for all the pretty words and graphics, the eXfuse site is quite short on them.

For something that costs $40 – $45 per bottle, retail, this is pretty unconscionable.  The site and ingredients have the appearance of science, but the reality is harder to grasp.

This issue is even more apparent in the description of the primary ingredient in Seven+: the so-called “Functional Water” or “Water of Life.” Here’s where the company really starts losing me:

As the final touch to the fusion of these amazing ingredients, eXfuze has used ultra purified functional water as the foundation of seven+. Ultra purified functional water is similar to the fluid found in healthy cells. With a higher pH, water of life can be more easily absorbed by your body.

This description makes almost zero sense, scientifically. How can it be “purified” and yet be “similar to the fluid found in healthy cells” (i.e, cytosol) – which is chock-full of electrolytes, peptides, proteins and other organic molecules? And why does the higher pH matter? It’s going to hit stomach acid when swallowed, after all, so how will this help absorption?

Which is what really seals it for me… From where I sit, Seven+ is not a product that inspires a lot of confidence… there’s too much hiding behind the pretty pictures and fluffy descriptions, and too little evidence that the product itself actually does anyone any good.

Sigh (again!)…

Sorry to be so long-winded about it… but under the circumstances, I wanted to give this product the attention it plainly deserved – particularly since Seven+ is the foundation on which other products are based. Like other MLM products in this genre, Seven+ is long on hype but short on providing the kind of information that would inspire me to invest my money in this product… or the company that makes it.

‘Nuff said.