(Updated 7/17/20). Have you heard of the anti-aging supplement Protandim? Maybe you saw a YouTube video of when Protandim was featured on ABC's PrimeTime? Protandim called an “Nrf2 activator” has been said to be the “only supplement clinically proven to reduce oxidative stress in humans by an average of 40 percent in 30 days.” That’s fancy talk for Protandim is a type of antioxidant supplement. Unlike other products, Protandim is said to work by helping the body increase its own natural antioxidant enzymes. Sounds good, but does Protandim work, or is it a scam? These are some of the questions I will address in this review. The good news is there are clinical studies on Protandim. I will use that research in this review and help you understand it. By the end of this review, you'll have a better idea if Protandim is right for you.
Other Anti-Aging Supplement Reviews
What Is Protandim?
Protandim might sound like a drug but it's really a dietary supplement. It's said to combat free radical damage (oxidative stress) by stimulating the production of the body's own natural antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione.
The idea goes like this: instead of taking individual antioxidant supplements (like vitamins C, E, etc.) in the hopes they will battle free radicals and combat aging and disease, Protandim is supposed to augment or ramp up your own naturally occurring free radical defenses.
It's a novel concept to be sure.
The supplement website (LifeVantage.com) says the supplement is “clinically proven to reduce oxidative stress to levels of that of a 20-year-old.” Oxidative stress refers to the stress (cellular damage) caused by free radicals.
What Does The Name Mean?
My guess is the name was chosen because the ingredients are supposed to “pro-actively” work in “tandim” to help defend us against aging and disease.
Who Makes Protandim?
Protandim is a product of a company called LifeVantage Corporation. LifeVantage is actually a publicly traded stock on the NASDAQ. Its stock symbol is LFVN.
The company is located at 9785 S. Monroe Street, Suite 300 Sandy, UT 84070. If you google this address you will see a building with “LifeVantage” at the top. That is good. It tells us the company has a physical location.
Contact LifeVantage
Call the company at 866-460-7241.
The Better Business Bureau gave LifeVantage an A- rating when this review was updated. See the BBB file for updates and more information.
Protandim Ingredients
According to the product's website, there are 5 ingredients in each caplet of Protandim which add up to 625 mg:
| Amount Per Serving (1 caplet) | Percent Daily Value |
|---|---|
| Calcium (as dicalcum phosphate & calcium carbonate) 77 mg | 8% DV |
| Proprietary Blend Consisting of the following | 675 mg |
| Milk thistle extract (Silybum marianum) seed. | |
| Bacopa extract (Bacopa monnieri) whole herb | |
| Ashwagandha extract (Withania somnifera) root | |
| Green tea extract (Camellia sinensis) leaf | |
| Turmeric extract (Curcuma longa) rhizome |
Notice in the table above they tell us the source of each ingredient:
- The milk thistle extract is derived from the seeds of the plant
- The bacopa extract is derived from the whole plant
- The ashwagandha extract is derived from the root of the plant
- The green tea extract comes from the leaves of the plant
- The turmeric extract is derived from the underground stems (rhizome) of the plant
Other Ingredients
The supplement label also tells the supplement has these other ingredients:
- Microcrystalline Cellulose
- Croscarmellose Sodium Silica
- Modified Cellulose
- Stearic Acid
- Magnesium Stearate
- Maltodextrin
- Medium Chain Triglycerides
These other ingredients play no role in the effects or benefits of the product. They make up the caplets and/or help with the delivery of the ingredients into the body.
I want to commend the LifeVantage company for sponsoring much of the research below. It's rare to find a product with so many clinical studies.
Protandim Research
Protandim is different from a lot of supplements because there really is clinical research on this product. Below is a summary of the Protandim research with links to the studies for those who want to see them for themselves.
Because scientific studies can be wordy and complicated for most people, I will summarize the study and put the research in the proper context to make it easier to understand.
2016 Protandim Research
Study
The Effect of Protandim® Supplementation on Athletic Performance and Oxidative Blood Markers in Runners.
Study summary: In this investigation, researchers tested if taking Protandim (675 mg/day) for 90 days would improve 5K running performance and reduce TBARS. The study involved 38 runners who were randomly given either Protandim or a placebo.
Results: After 90 days, those taking Protandim (1x/day) showed no improvement in running performance compared to those taking the placebo. In addition, Protandim did not reduce TBARS or alter levels of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) or glutathione peroxidase (GPX) during resting periods. The researchers report however that in those over age 35, Protandim improved SOD twice as much as those taking the placebo.
See the full review of this study
Study
Longer lifespan in male mice treated with a weakly estrogenic agonist, an antioxidant, an α-glucosidase inhibitor or an Nrf2-inducer.
Study summary: Here, researchers sought to determine what effect various compounds had on extending the life of mice. Protandim was one of the compounds tested. The other compounds tested in the study were fish oil, ursodeoxycholic acid (a bile acid, used to dissolve gall stones), and the diabetes drug, metformin. Different mice received the different compounds for their entire lifespan.
Beginning at 10 months of age, mice received Protandim at a dosage of 600 parts per million (ppm) in their food. This amount was chosen because it was similar to the Protandim dosage used by people. When the mice were 17 months old, the dosage was increased to 1200 ppm because this was thought to be better.
Study results: researchers noted male mice getting Protandim had a 7% increase in average lifespan. The supplement did not lengthen the life span of female mice. The researchers also point out that while the average lifespan was increased, the maximum lifespan did not increase. Regardless, this was a mouse study.
2013 Protandim Research
Study
Study
Upregulation of phase II enzymes through phytochemical activation of Nrf2 protects cardiomyocytes against oxidant stress
Study results: Researchers noted that mouse heart cells treated with Protandim increased the production of an antioxidant/anti-inflammatory enzyme called Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) as well as Nrf2. This was a test-tube study using isolated mouse heart cells.
This investigation is derived from a Masters's Thesis in 2010. The title of the MS Thesis is “UPREGULATION OF HEME OXYGENASE-1 AND ACTIVATION OF NRF2 BY THE PHYTOCHEMICALS IN PROTANDIM .” It is not unusual for a quality MS thesis or other graduate work to go through the peer-review process and be published.
2012 Protandim Research
Study
Antioxidants for the Treatment of Patients with Severe Angioproliferative Pulmonary Hypertension? Published in the journal, Antioxidants in Redox Signaling.
Summary: This is a rat study. Protandim increased antioxidant enzymes in rats, protecting the hearts from damage.
Study
Phytochemical activation of Nrf2 protects human coronary artery endothelial cells against an oxidative challenge published in the journal, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity.
Summary: This is a test tube study. Human coronary (heart) artery cells were treated with Protandim (20 micrograms per milliliter) or placebo (ethanol). All cells were then treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to induce free radical damage. Cells treated with Protandim showed less cell death than those getting the placebo.
Study
Protandim does not influence alveolar epithelial permeability or intrapulmonary oxidative stress in human subjects with alcohol use disorders.
Summary: This investigation showed the supplement did not work. To be fair, this was a strange study. Researchers looked at 30 alcoholics . The researchers stuck tubes down the throats of the subjects to take fluid samples from their lungs. They randomly gave the people 1350 mg of Protandim per day or a placebo, for a week. They tested for various things to see if Protandim helped the people. It didn’t.
I don't know how relevant this study is to whether Protandim works or not. I mentioned it because it was a human study. For a much more in-depth review of this study—written by a doctor—see the review posted on ScienceBasedMedicine.org.
2011 Protandim Research
Study
Oxidative stress in health and disease: the therapeutic potential of Nrf2 activation.
Summary: This is a test tube study. Essentially, Protandim altered cellular pathways involved in antioxidant enzyme production and colon cancer, cardiovascular disease (heart disease), and Alzheimer's disease. This is encouraging, but, humans are more complicated than isolated cells. This study doesn’t prove the supplement reduces the risk of any of these diseases.
Study
The role of manganese superoxide dismutase in skin cancer.
Summary: This is a mouse study. Here, researchers reported the supplement reduced tumor growth in mice. For the most part, this appears to be a review of previous research relating free radical damage to the development of skin cancer.
Study
Protandim attenuates intimal hyperplasia in human saphenous veins cultured ex vivo via a catalase-dependent pathway.
Summary. This is a test tube study. Basically, a blood vessel was bathed in Protandim. Researchers noted the supplement reduced the thickening of vein cells.
2010 Protandim Research
Study
The Dietary Supplement Protandim Decreases Plasma Osteopontin and Improves Markers of Oxidative Stress in Muscular Dystrophy Mdx Mice.
Summary. This is a mouse study. Mice were genetically created to have muscular dystrophy. They were given Protandim at a dosage similar to what is recommended for humans. After 6 months, the mice given Protandim showed a 46%reduction in the free radical breakdown of fat (TBARS). TBARS stand for ThiobarBituric Acid Reactive Substances.
The greater the TBAR level, the greater free radical damage. Thus, reducing TBARS is taken to be a good thing. This doesn't prove Protandim helps muscular dystrophy. People with muscular dystrophy should discuss this with their doctor for greater insights.
Study
The chemopreventive effects of Protandim: modulation of p53 mitochondrial translocation and apoptosis during skin carcinogenesis.
Summary: This is a mouse study. Protandim reduced damage to the mitochondria of mouse cells. of this study. The mitochondria, often called the “powerhouse” of the cell, make energy —and makes free radicals in the process. The mitochondria are a major area of anti-aging research.
Study
Chronic pulmonary artery pressure elevation is insufficient to explain right heart failure.
Summary. This is a rat study. Researchers tested if the supplement helped pulmonary blood pressure. After 6 weeks, Protandim did not reduce pulmonary artery blood pressure or the number of lung lesions. These researchers did say “our data point to a cardioprotective effect of Protandim.” But, this is a vague statement.
2009 Protandim Research
Study
Protandim, a fundamentally new antioxidant approach in chemoprevention using mouse two-stage skin carcinogenesis as a model.
Summary: This is a mouse study.
Study
Synergistic induction of heme oxygenase-1 by the components of the antioxidant supplement Protandim.
Summary: This is a test tube study. Cells treated with supplements showed significant increases in glutathione, an antioxidant compound. This is the study LifeVantage lists as “proof” Protandim increases glutathione levels by 300%. It may raise glutathione 300% – in a test tube – but does the same effect occur in people?
2006 Protandim Research
Study
The induction of human superoxide dismutase and catalase in vivo: a fundamentally new approach to antioxidant therapy.
This is a human study. 39 healthy men and women, age 20-78 years were given Protandim (675 mg per day) between 30 and 120 days.
Study Summary:
1. Protandim caused a significant increase in the antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) in red blood cells.
2. TBARS declined by 40% after 30 days
3. SOD in red blood cells increased by 30% after 120 days
4. Catalase decreased by 40% after 120 days
5. There was a non-significant rise (4.9%) in uric acid.
6. No change in CRP levels was seen.
7. No change in HDL, LDL or triglycerides were seen.
Protandim Research Summary
Here is a quick summary of the research:
| Study Year / Title | Study Type (Human, mouse, etc.) |
| 2016 Research | |
| The Effect of Protandim Supplementation on Athletic Performance and Oxidative Blood Markers in Runners | Humans |
| Longer lifespan in male mice treated with a weakly estrogenic agonist, an antioxidant, an α-glucosidase inhibitor or a Nrf2-inducer | mice |
| 2013 Research | |
| Upregulation of phase II enzymes through phytochemical activation of Nrf2 protects cardiomyocytes against oxidant stress | Mouse heart cells |
| 2012 Research | |
| Antioxidants for the treatment of patients with severe angioproliferative pulmonary hypertension? | Rats |
| Phytochemical Activation of Nrf2 Protects Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells against an Oxidative Challenge | Test tube study |
| Protandim does not influence alveolar epithelial permeability or intrapulmonary oxidative stress in human subjects with alcohol use disorders. | Humans |
| 2011 Research | |
| Oxidative stress in health and disease: the therapeutic potential of Nrf2 activation. | Test tube study |
| The Role of Manganese Superoxide Dismutase in Skin Cancer | Mice |
| Protandim attenuates intimal hyperplasia in human saphenous veins cultured ex vivo via a catalase-dependent pathway | Test tube study |
| 2010 Research | |
| The Dietary Supplement Protandim® Decreases Plasma Osteopontin and Improves Markers of Oxidative Stress in Muscular Dystrophy Mdx Mice | Mice |
| The Chemopreventive Effects of Protandim: Modulation of p53 Mitochondrial Translocation and Apoptosis during Skin Carcinogenesis | Mice |
| Chronic Pulmonary Artery Pressure Elevation Is Insufficient to Explain Right Heart Failure | Rats |
| 2009 Research | |
| Protandim, a Fundamentally New Antioxidant Approach in Chemoprevention Using Mouse Two-Stage Skin Carcinogenesis as a Model | Mice |
| Synergistic induction of heme oxygenase-1 by the components of the antioxidant supplement Protandim. | Test tube study |
| 2006 Research | |
| The induction of human superoxide dismutase and catalase in vivo: a fundamentally new approach to antioxidant therapy. | Humans |
To be fair, it's possible I may have missed some research. I'll update this table as I become aware of new research.
My Thoughts On The Research
While Protandim has been the subject of several clinical investigations, only 3 of them involved humans. They are:
- The 2006 study (click to see study)
- The 2012 study (click to see study)
- The 2016 study (click to see the study)
Protandim And Weight Loss
Can Protaindm help you lose weight? There is no good evidence for this. None of the above clinical investigations was about weight loss. To the credit of LifeVangage, they do not market this supplement for weight reduction.
Protandim And Multiple Sclerosis
Is this supplement worthwhile if you have Multiple sclerosis (MS)? Some have put forth the idea that disruption of free radical stress – via stabilizing Nrf2 (the stuff this supplement is supposed to improve) – might help MS. So, is there any proof? There was an investigation presented in 2011 at the 5th Joint triennial congress of the European and Americas Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The title of the presentation was: Nrf2 activators: a novel strategy to promote oligodendrocyte survival in multiple sclerosis? Here, researchers treated rat and human oligodendrocytes with several compounds ― one of which was Protandim ― and then exposed the cells to a chemical to create free radical damage.
These researchers noted Protandim was seen as “the most potent inducer” of Nrf2 antioxidant enzymes defenses. In other words, Protandim helped the most.
This is intriguing, but it's not the same as giving it to people with MS to see if their symptoms improved.
There is also some evidence that stimulating Nrf2 might reduce cellular inflammation via inhibition of NFkb. Inhibition of NFkb is also something another supplement – called Anatabloc – was supposed to do. Currently, though there is little human proof for Protandim improving quality of life in those with MS.
See the Anatabloc review.
Protandim And ABC Primetime
In 2005, this supplement was featured on ABC's Primetime news show. In this segment, ABC correspondent John Quinones met with Dr. Joe McCord, a respected researcher whose name appears on many of the Protandim clinical studies. According to his Wikipedia page, as a grad student, Dr. McCord was involved with the discovery of Superoxide Dismutase, an important free radical savaging enzyme. Here is the ABC Primetime segment :
Basically, John Quinones gets a blood test to measure his TBAR level (an indicator of oxidative stress). He's given Protandim for 2 weeks and then returns to the lab where he has his blood tested again.
Dr. McCord tells John Quinones the supplement caused a “45% reduction” in oxidative stress and goes on to say this is the level seen in a “newborn baby”. The ABC Primetime segment is often used as proof the supplement really works. But, as I see it, one problem is John Quinones doesn't have is blood tested by an independent lab. This is bad science in my opinion.
Of course, the Primetime segment is interesting. But it's been over a decade since this segment aired. You'd think such an impressive result would warrant a follow-up. I wish Primetime and John Quinones would do a follow-up story.
Update. Dr. McCord is now involved with the PB125 supplement.
Protandim And The FDA
In 2017, the FDA reached out to LifeVantage to inform them they considered Protandim to be a drug and not a supplement based on claims made about it as an NRF2 Synergizer. Basically, the FDA was saying the claims being made at the time, made people think the supplement could treat disease. This is something not allowed under US supplement regulation. This may be the reason for the dramatic change in the LifeVantage website and marketing. There are no more claims about the effects of the supplement. Instead, the company now calls itself “a wellness and personal care company” and makes references to “bio-hacking.”
Do Doctors Endorse Protandim?
While the supplement is not endorsed by the American Medical Association (they don't endorse any supplement), I'm sure some physicians believe in it – and others who don't.
Does Protandim Have Caffeine?
According to the product website, each tablet has 1.8mg of caffeine. That's much less than in a cup of coffee and most energy drinks. I don't think this small amount would keep people up at night, but because we are all different it might be wise to not take it close to bedtime.
Is It Kosher?
No. this supplement is not kosher or organic. It is however made in the US. That is good.
Protandim Side Effects
Are there any Protandim dangers out there? I don't think so. I believe this supplement is pretty safe. I am not aware of any side effects. That said, here are a few general things you might want to think about if your not healthy. This list is not complete:
- Start with less than the recommended dosage for the first week to see how you respond
- Speak to your doctor/ pharmacist if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Stop taking the supplement at least 2 weeks before having surgery
- Speak to your doctor /pharmacist if you take any prescription drugs like blood thinners
One study noted the supplement might raise uric acid levels (by 4.9%). Would this be bad for those who suffer from gout? Currently, there is no direct proof gout pain is increased by Protandim. See the review of Tart Cherry Juice for more info.
While allergic reactions are likely uncommon, LifeVantage does mention this possibility in some people. Specific symptoms mentioned on the LifeVantage website include:
- gastrointestinal disturbances (i.e., stomach ache, diarrhea, vomiting)
- sometimes as a headache or rash on the hands or feet
Stop taking the supplement if you experience these symptoms.
The company website warns against using the supplement if you are undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy for cancer. This is likely because of the unknowns of combining antioxidants with some cancer therapies. If you have cancer or are getting treatment for it, ask your doctor. I'm glad the LifeVantage company informs people about this.
LifeVantage also stresses the importance of talking to a doctor if you have any autoimmune disease like arthritis or Type I diabetes. I'm not aware of any problems in anyone but I appreciated the company mentioning this.
How To Measure Your TBARS
Remember TBARS are a measure of free radical damage (oxidative stress) of cells. Protandim is said to reduce TBARS. The TBAR test is also called a Lipid Peroxidase test. Ask your physician about this test. For those who really want to know if Protandim is working, getting this test done first—and a month later— might be a good idea. I'm not sure if insurance covers the test or not. Talk to your doctor for more information on this.
Aged Garlic Extract also has some evidence it might reduce TBARS (click to see review)
TrueScience Brand
True Science is a brand name under which various beauty products made by the company can be identified. Products offered under the True Science brand include:
- Shampoo
- Scalp serum
- Facial cleanser
- Eye serum
What is PhysIQ?
PhysIQ is the brand name associated with various fitness-related products. This brand includes:
- Fat burn supplements
- Prebiotics
- Whey protein
- Appetite suppressants
Protandim For Dogs
Protandim Dogs (formally called Canine Health) is for pets. According to the LifeVantage website, this supplement contains 150 mg of the same ingredients as Protandim – as well as omega 3 fatty acids and collagen. The website goes on to say: “Reducing oxidative stress in dogs may reduce many of the disorders associated with aging in canine.” To support this, the organization states a 3rd party animal health company has found the supplement reduces oxidative stress in dogs.
Protandim vs. PB125
PB125, by Pathways Bioscience, is another supplement whose makers claim can reduce TBARS and activate NrF2. PB125 is the supplement by Dr. Joe McCord and associates. Recall Dr. McCord used to be associated with the LifeVantage company.
While PB125 is said to be the next generation of NrF2 activators, no studies have yet compared these supplements to each other to see which is better. The ingredients in both products are different for the most part.
See the PB125 Review for much more information.
Protandim vs. Tru Niagen
The Tru Niagen supplement boasts research showing it can raise NAD+ levels in humans. Tru Niagen is based on nicotniamide riboside a form of niacin (vitamin B3).
The idea of slowing aging by raising NAD+ is different than Protandim. So far no clinical studies have compared these supplements to each other. While the original Protandim does not contain nicotinamide riboside, the Life Vantage company does offer another version called the “NAD Synergizer” which contains niacin.
Protandim vs. Elysium Basis
Basis by Elysium is a popular anti-aging supplement that contains very different ingredients than Protandim. Like Tru Niagen, Elysium Basis also is an NAD+ booster supplement. So, which is better? Unfortunately, there are no head-to-head studies yet.
See the Elysuim Basis Review for more insights.
Protandim vs. SeroVital
You've probably seen TV ads for SeroVital. How does Protandim compare to SeroVital? Both supplements contain different ingredients and are touted to work differently.
While Protandim is said to help boost our bodies antioxidant enzymes, SeroVital is marketed to raise human growth hormone (HGH).
If we just look at the research, Protandim wins hands down. The makers of Serovital only have one study.
Where To Buy Protandim
This supplement is not sold in stores like Walmart, Target, Cosco, CVS, Walgreens, Kmart, or BJs. It's also not sold at GNC or Vitamin Shoppe. Rather, it's mostly purchased from LifeVantage independent distributors.
It is also available online as well although when using a distributor, you may get the individualized attention you might not get by buying it yourself.
Protandim Price
According to the LifeVantage website, a one-month supply (30 capsules) costs $59.99 retail. If you order it through a LifeVantage distributor, it costs $49.99 – and that is on a monthly basis. In other words, that means auto-shipments. If you want to purchase one month only to test drive it first, speak to your LifeVantgage independent distributor.
Protandim Yearly Cost
Let's round the price up to $50 a month. In one year, the supplement would cost you $600. Shipping and tax may be extra. If you only want to order 1 bottle to try yourself, you can get it on Amazon too.
My Suggestions
If you can afford it, go ahead and give it a try for a month or so and see if you feel any better. If you really want to know for sure, get your TBARS measured first.
Remember, exercise will also reduce TBARS too.
Protandim Pro & Con
Here's a quick summary of what I liked and didn't like. These are my opinions. Yours may be different.
| Pro | Con |
|---|---|
| There are clinical studies on Protandim | Not all the studies are on humans |
| Company has been around a long time | Not available in stores |
| Company sponsors research on Protandim | Expensive |
| Lots of hype about benefits |
Does Protandim Work?
While I'm intrigued at the prospect of slowing down aging, I'm can't say for sure if Protandim works or not. The research is intriguing but in my opinion three's not enough human research yet to draw conclusions. So, does Protandim really work? Let's just say I'm looking forward to more human clinical studies.
Here is it is on Amazon If you want to check it out/see what others are saying
Alaskatnt,
Not sure what you are saying…..it’s not that I “believe” Paul Myhill was the “inventor” of Protandim, I know it. Look at the patent.
There is a study out that links Nrf2 , the antioxidant protein, to clogging of the arteries and Atheriosclerosis
Science 2.0
Jan 10th 2011
Title: Nrf2 – Antioxidant Protein also promotes clogging of the Arteries
On the basis of this study Protandim might be harmful, not harmless……!!!
Can you report these two to LifeVantage? By both lying and making unsupported claims they are violating their distributor agreements, and need to have their distributorships suspended. On behalf of all the good LV distributors, I apologize for these two bozos.
Report distributors who lie and make unsupported claims? That would include every LifeVantage distributor. None have ever been suspended for anything other than crossline recruiting. But Greg knows that already.
I do not take Protandim, nor will I ever. I was approached by two unrelated people to sell this stuff. I hadn’t even tried it. They told me it would cure a whole laundry list of things, PTSD, Cancer, arthritis…the list goes on and on. I stopped listening after PTSD really, but I knew something was up when they said, “No, we are not a MLM” which told me right away that they were. This is sad.
Hi Molly,
I have to tell you first and foremost that I am a distributor for LifeVantage and yes Protandim actually does work. It’s changed by wife’s life who has suffered from Hypothyroidism. She has been up and down with her thyroid medication and battled fatigue, but since she started on Protandim 2 months ago she feels that she has her life back to where it was before she was diagnosed with her thyroid condition.
This is just my two cents, for those that think this product does not work. Unless you’ve tried the product I don’t know if you can really comment on it. Take a T-bar test like we did and see your result 30 days later. You’ll be blown away. Have a blessed day.
Hi Ozboorne, where did you get your T-bar test from? Just curious.
Since you never have anything positive to say, why don’t you just shut up? You sound like a stuck record. LifeVantage’s products have helped, and continue to help, thousands of people, and their pets, and no amount of whining on your part can alter that fact.
Au contraire Greg. There is no reliable evidence that Protandim (i.e., worthless MLM snakeoil) has helped even one person (or animal) with anything, and no logical reason to think that it would. Your bitterness towards me is no mystery, given that I call out your hypocritical and disingenuous comments; like when you stated that no distributors are making illegal and baseless claims about Protandim curing diseases, and then turned around a few days later and stated that Protandim cures diseases.
So, um, no; not going to shut up any time soon. Deal with it.
Thanks for sharing. So many unexplained things. All I know is some of these supplements and superfoods do make a difference for real. I say it is our garbage processed and continued use of foods that mess us up and these other things help reverse or lessen the damage directly related to free radicals gone unchecked
Protandim is not a pain-killer, per se, but there have been a number of dogs who were crippled with doggy arthritis who regained a good portion of their mobility after taking Protandim or Canine Health, meaning that whatever it was doing in their joints resulted in a reduction of the pain that had prevented their being able to move freely. But I have never heard of anyone using Protandim as a straight pain reliever. It is not designed to work like that.
“Protandim is not a pain-killer, per se, but there have been a number of dogs who were crippled with doggy arthritis who regained a good portion of their mobility after taking Protandim or Canine Health, meaning that whatever it was doing in their joints resulted in a reduction of the pain that had prevented their being able to move freely. But I have never heard of anyone using Protandim as a straight pain reliever. It is not designed to work like that.”
Ridiculous! Protandim is not designed to relieve “doggy arthritis” either. It is designed to be bait for a pyramid scheme and to separate fools from their money.
Not one to let blatant hypocrisy and illegal marketing go unchallenged, I bring you the two faces of Greg:
Greg B (May 6) said: “There have been a number of dogs who were crippled with doggy arthritis who regained a good portion of their mobility after taking Protandim or Canine Health, meaning that whatever it was doing in their joints resulted in a reduction of the pain that had prevented their being able to move freely.”
Greg B said (April 19): “Never, at any time, have I ever claimed that Protandim is a treatment or cure for any disease. Nor has any compliant distributor. Yes, a few ignorant distributors have made unwarranted exaggerations, but that is not the company’s fault; those people were told to not make disease-cure claims.”
No, Greg, never would you ever do something so dastardly as to claim that Protandim can treat or cure a disease (like “doggy arthritis). That’s something that only an IGNORANT distributor would do right? Surely not the company’s fault if one of their representatives trolled the internet anonymously making patently ridiculous and illegal claims right?
Same old BS!
Greg are you saying that Protandum is a pain killer, when you referenced the dog in pain and said the opposite was true in your experience.
Your thinking is not logical. There is no reason to believe Canine Health caused the dog to be in pain. If CH was harmful, it would not have done the dog good for the first couple of months. I have not heard of any other dogs experiencing CH-related pain; indeed, the opposite is usually the case!
But what about yourself? Did taking Protandim cause you any problems? If not, you have no reason to stop taking it.
Pay no mind to Greg. If you told him that taking Protandim made a brain tumor disappear or raised the dead, he’d applaud you, despite the fact that Protandim is nothing more than inert overprice pyramid scheme snakeoil. However if anyone ever says anything the least bit negative about Protandim, no matter how valid, Greg will dismiss it and launch into his song and dance routine. His act used to be mildly amusing; now it’s just sad.
Well, I tried it. The thing that I noticed, after strength training for the first time ever- I did not get sore. I would have expected to be in pain days later. That was not the case.
Now, my neighbor gave her dog the product. She had a boost of energy, but couple of months later this dog was moving around in pain. She could barely walk. My neighbor had her dog tested at the vet.
Unfortunately, they could not find the cause. She got better for one day, but she really got worse. My neighbor had to put her down. I really believe it was the pills for the pets. That made me stop taking the pills. She never had an answer to her dog’s illness. It scared me away from the product.
I thought those labels always say “These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA” ??? Just checked my bottle of Protandim: it says exactly that, plus “This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
Mike B said: I thought those labels always say “These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA” ??? Just checked my bottle of Protandim: it says exactly that, plus “This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
Right, and yet the Protandimites (i.e., distributors) make it out as though, while not “intended” to do anything medically beneficial, the product coincidentally cures cancer and everything else, as though it’s just a fortuitous accident. Either that or they just whisper on the side something along the lines of “we have to say that legally because the FDA is evil, but [wink wink] us insiders know it cures cancer, diabetes, MS, and whatever else ails you.”
I think all of them say that & have that on the label to protect themselves against any lawsuits (I am just guessing here). It makes the consumer take anything with that label on it” at your own risk” I think.
Some of them even add “talk to your Doctor before taking this product” and some of them say “Do not take this if you are already on Prescription Drugs without consulting a Physician. ” I am just thinking because the FDA has not done extensive testing on them then labeling it like that would protect them “In Court” if it ever went that far. Wouldn’t you want to be protected? I would if I was making.
I am not saying supplements are bad I am just saying a consumer has to be careful, esp. when mixing a lot of Prescription Drugs, been Diagnosed with certain illnesses causing your body to not excrete toxins or anything like it should, etc…
A friend of mine wanted me to try this as she thought it was a “miracle cure”. She sent me a lot of the Testimonies on Youtube for the things I was struggling with. The Arthritis is one of the worse things right now that is limiting my activities. I do not see proof of this helping that. I do try supplements but with the medications I am on I have to be careful as some for example (Omega II (Fish oil or Krill, it did not matter to this Dr.), Flaxseed Oil, Vit. E, Garlic, Curcumin) can thin your blood) and there may possibly be some other’s.
These are just a few that I can remember off the top of my head which a Doctor in 2012 made me go off of for 10 days before a Surgery he did for me. Instead of the 10 days I wanted to do 13-14 days just to be on the safe side.
At the time we did not know about the Curcumin & that was not on this Surgeon’s Top 10. I was taking that ( a low dose) with Tylenol before Surgery for the constant pain I was in. I still had complications during the Surgery & in the Recovering Room. The Doctor would not tell me what happened so I had to drive 2 hr.s round trip to have my Chart pulled & copied to go threw myself.
I am a R.N. & wanted to see anything in my chart that looked life-threating. The only thing I saw what that my body was not clotting & he could not close my wounds up. They have to give me 3 bags of Plasma before he could complete my surgery.. My heart & Blood Pressure seemed ok during the Surgery. I did not “code”. In the Recovery Room my Blood Pressure & Heart rate keep dropping. Heart rate was 49, 48 , 47. She had to call the Anesthesiologist for more assistance to know what to give me(medication) to keep my heart rate up because people can get into dangerous, life-threating heart rhythms.
It could have been the pain medication she gave me in my IV port which I told her not to do as I could have problems with that. But that still does not explain the need for the need for 3 bags of Plasma. This Dr. advised me when I went in to his Office to have my sutures removed to never, ever have another Surgery unless it was a 50/50 chance of survival anyway.
I am taking Green tea in bag form, and Barely Green powder for juicing. I guess I overdid it & rushed too fast as I was having headaches, joint and muscle aching much like the flu so I am going slower on the “de-tox”.
For sensitive people like me that cannot take “Milk Thistle & the Curcumin) this may actually hurt them. I had another great Dr. years ago that shared with me to be careful with the Vit. E supplements I was taking. When I questioned him further he shared with me that his mother was on a Blind-Study for the the Beta-Carotene pill from a certain Co. He said that had to stop the Study & that it did not even get 30-days off the ground as many of the people were getting Diagnosed with various type’s of cancer’s in their bodies.
I said it had to be a coincidence and he told me “No, it was not. That they had a “Control Group” and not one person in that group was Diagnosed with cancer and at that time they were still testing & calling people & still no one in the “Control Group” was getting cancer even after 4-6 months out.
This Co. also paid the people to do this test when they signed up. The blood testing they did on the persons the Co. paid for. That makes one think a little about what you would think was an “innocent supplement”. A Dr. in the last 3 years said I have something like “Central Sensitivity Syndrome” which you can look up on the Web. I think those people would do better for the individual forms of taking supplements instead of combined forms like this Brand.
But, with all supplements you really need to check with your Doctor if you are taking Prescription medications and I cannot Stress this enough. If you mix certain supplements with certain Drugs it can actually kill you & no one would know why. They would not know what happened.
I am a R.N. & even the computer’s at the Pharmacy do not catch every “red flag”. I have given them a very long list all of my medications & supplements that I am taking. They did not warn me about a lot of things I was suppose to not eat or drink with Cipro. The Pharmacist actually told me I could crush the tablet & put in into yogurt or cottage cheese & take it that way if I had trouble swallowing the large tablet. It was so bitter & actually burned my mouth so I had to spit it out did not which was a good thing.
Later, after looking it up there was a Warning to not combine this Drug with milk products if that was your only meal because it would have a “reaction” that could harm your body. Very scaring in this age we live in. I do not like that there is not a “Blind-Study”, nor a control Group done on this supplement for at least 5 yrs. & why did they not think about doing this?
Why is this Documentation not done on people for this time frame & made available to the public? Makes you kind of wonder? I would again advise people to be careful of any supplements and ask your Doctor 1st or at least a D.O. Even Dr. Don Colbert which I love to read his books warns certain people with auto-immune disease’s to not take certain supplement’s in his books.
So please be very careful with any supplements. Juicing raw vegetables like carrots has a great cleansing effect on your body.
Hi Bonnie, so very sorry you went through all of that! I hope you are doing better now. Your doctor is right about the vitamin E/ cancer link. I remember very well the study he refereed to. Here is one of those studies: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8127329
Thanks Joe for the Link. My Doctor back then (around 1996) just wanted me to cut my Vit. E from 800 I.U. per day to 400 I.U. I cannot remember why now. I was also just beginning to take the Beta-Carotene in the supplement form.
When I was seeing that Doctor I had taken all of the Vit.s & supplements that I was currently taking (In a large bag) so he could see them. That is when he told me about the Beta-Carotene Study that his mother was in. He asked me “How long have you been taking the “Beta-Carotene?” I told him I had just started it, maybe a week or two. He told me to “stop it immediately” & never take it (Beta-Carotene) ever again.
He stated that I could get all that my body needed just by doing the carrot juicing. I just asked him “Why did you say Z& why was his tone so strongly?” And I added ” I thought all supplements were safe to take.” I asked him “What is going on?” That is when he told me “No, all supplements are not safe to take.” That is when he told me about the Study his mother had been in (the Beta-Carotene Study) not a Vit E Study.
He told me that the Company had to stop the Study immediately and that it was only 2 weeks in, maybe 2 and 1/2 weeks. He shared that several persons( a very high percentage), (male & female) started all of the sudden having symptoms & then going to their own Family M.D. & getting Diagnosed with various forms of Cancer all at the same time frame.
He also stated that these persons did not really have any family history of Cancer. It did not make any sense to me except something in the supplement whether the Active Ingredients or Inactive Ingredients was causing the Immune System of each person(affected) to be “out of whack”.
I thought our Immune Systems were suppose to be on “High Alert” to go & fight & gobble up & destroy anything like Cancer Cells, bacteria or Viruses, or anything resembling an “Invader”. I know there are some illnesses etc. that make the Immune System turn on itself (causing auto-immune disease). I am no expert on this by” any means”.
This Doctor was not against me taking supplements nor am I am against taking supplements. I still take some today. He just wanted me to be careful with them & check with him first. I still have to be very too careful with them. I got “really excited” the other day. I was going to increase my “Barley Green Juicing” that I got lazy about taking.
I increased the amount & increased the frequency & also on the same day I started taking Green Tea as a Hot Tea Beverage. I am guessing I did too much “Detoxing” as in too fast for my body as I started having Flu-like symptoms, aching all over, joints hurting really bad. Even went to bed wondering what in the world was going on. That was all I could figure out.
I had not changed anything else in my life that day or week except I had also slacked up on drinking the large amt. of water ( 10-12-) 8 ounce glasses a day. I guess I was not excreting the toxins fast enough. That was kind of a rough night. I have been Diagnosed with Fibromyalgia back in 1996 & arthritis in the last 3 years & something called “Central Sensitivity Syndrome” in the last 3 years. It causes a person to be extra-sensitive to anything.
So, if you know anyone who struggles with the Fibro. it can be really hard on you & family member’s. Again, Please understand that I am not against the Protandim. I am not trying to scare anyone with taking supplements. I am still taking some today but only the ones the Doctor’s have said I can take. Any supplement or Vit. that a Doctor says is ok for a person to take & is “safe” for them I am all in for it.
I am very glad that people are getting relieve from the Protandim. I am a Registered Nurse so anything that keeps people from suffering I am (for it) not against it. If there is no “contraindication ” or “Adverse Reaction” & your Doctor has approved it I am for it. I am just trying to say do your own homework, esp. if you are already under a Doctor’s care & on a lot of Prescription Medication.
Don’t just go “hog wild” & begin a lot of supplements without checking with your Doctor or D.O. first. I am no Doctor, nor do I ever tell any person what to take or not to take as I would be “practicing medicine”. I was just sharing an experience I had with my Doctor’s.
The time of Surgery in 2012 I was under a different Doctor’s Care. I also have a sensitive Bladder & the lining gets easily irritated from anything I eat as food or supplements or medications. I was only trying to help people not go through the same thing that I have already been through. Just as another Note- I am currently talking to my brother about his Prescription Medication of an Iron Supplement because on his last visit to the Dr. he found that he is Anemic.
That explains his tiredness, lethargy, short-winded. I have taken Iron Supplements in the past because of the same problem. We both had cut out all red meat & were only eating fish & chicken. Evidently we were not eating enough veggies with Iron in them. He is having Adverse Reactions to it. I sent him some Websites so he could read them & make notes to tell & go over with the Doctor.
I did not have the Side Effects that he is having but I found there are other Iron Supplements to try & you just have to find the right one for you. We shared our experience’s as I was having the same symptoms as he was having before the Doctor found that I was Anemic.
Again, please here what I am saying. Be safe & careful with any supplements. Best to go over them with a Doctor that knows you & your Conditions if you have any. I like the approach this author had in her Book called “Life, Cancer and God” by Paula Black. She goes over why we give ourselves Cancer and she goes over her experience and the Body, Soul & Spirit Connection.
It is not just your Physical Body but that you have to address all 3 parts of yourself if you want to be healthy and stay healthy. I think it is a good book. I saw her on T.V. & just wanted to read about her story. As always Be Safe & Be Healthy.
Hi Bonnie, thanks for the follow up. As for the vitamin E, Ive seen studies suggesing it be reduced to 200 IU. Most supplements only contain 1 kind of this vitamin. there are several. I think there are still unknowns. When in doubt, moderation is the key. I also feel that there are some good supplements out there. For most people I also think the best -overall – supplement is a salad.
Decades ago, salads would have been a good source of vitamins and minerals but modern farming has stripped the soil of vital nutrients. Herbicides and pesticides are poisoning our food supply and ground waters and GMO substitution is just as bad as Trans Fats that we were told were healthy decades ago. When will the world learn, you mess with Mother Nature and you will pay in the end. We have ruined our fisheries by poor management, depleted our soils of healthful nutrients, polluted our drinking water sources and even the plastic packaging of some bottled water is bad for us. Then some people want to Fluoridate the water as well. You want fluoride, take a tablet and don’t poison my water.
BPA free is the cry for safe plastics but BPA was just switched for another plastic that is just as bad as BPA. Don’t depend on the FDA, they can’t keep up with science and what large food corporations put out there for consumers to buy. I’ve got a BSci degree in Food Science Technology with a minor in Nutrition and worked in the quality assurance area of food companies and left that work on moral grounds.
Good wholesome food is the best thing you can do for your body – good food can be healing, my 86 yo father has dementia, and by introducing organic coconut oil into his diet, has helped him. He went from not being able to spell his name to getting back his old signature without hesitation and his sundowners has reduced frequency along with his hallucinations.
A friend of mine signed up as a Life Vantage distributor after seeing the great strides her grandmother made after taking Protandim – she got her life back instead of sitting in a chair all day. I’ll get my father on it as well and my 88 yo mother.
People do not realize that NOT all Vitamin companies are equal, just as probiotics are not all equal – you need to do your research and be serious about it. The quality of the ingredients are essential as are the manufacturing practices as well and how bioavailable the supplement ends up being.
As for safety, some vitamins are fat soluble others are water soluble. If they are water soluble (B vitamines) and you take too much you just throw it off in your urine. Fat soluble Vitamins ( like A and E) get stored in your body’s fatty tissue so if you take mega doses it can become a problem.
As for DOCTORS, doctors do NOT know everything and you shouldn’t expect them too, there is just so much knowledge. Med schools only have time to teach how to handle DISEASE conditions in the body not how to maintain healthy bodies. Years ago it was lucky if a doctor studied nutrition for 12 to 16 weeks in med school. Drugs are the quick and dirty fix and then there are the drugs to treat the side effects of the original set of drugs prescribed. Enough Said.
I plan on trying Protandim myself and VOGEL enough said, you sound like a broken record. Put your energy and effort elsewhere. Protandim may not change everyone’s life but it has made a difference in some lives. Is it any different that Tylenol vs. Aleve? What works for you – you use. Yes so there may be some overly excited distributors that make claims like snake oil salesmen – snake oil worked for some people. Face it, it’s BUYER BEWARE.
Alaskatnt, thanks or sharing. Im glad you still have your father and hope it continues to improve.
Alaskatnt said: “… salads… vitamins and minerals…modern farming…soil of vital nutrients…herbicides and pesticides… GMO substitution…Trans Fats…fisheries…drinking water…plastic packaging…fluoride…BPA…FDA…I’ve got a BSci degree in Food Science Technology……good wholesome food…coconut oil…hallucinations
Wow. That was quite a rambling screed. You glossed over at least a dozen topics without saying even one word that was remotely relevant to Protandim.
Alaskatnt said: “A friend of mine signed up as a Life Vantage distributor after seeing the great strides her grandmother made after taking Protandim – she got her life back instead of sitting in a chair all day. I’ll get my father on it as well and my 88 yo mother.”
Well there’s the usual snakeoil pitch that the Protandim desperados are so fond of making. A claim so laughably vague as to be meaningless (i.e., “great strides…life back instead of sitting in a chair”). What kind of BS supplements you may claim to foist on your elderly parents is irrelevant as well; what is relevant is that there would be no logical reason to do so in light of the evidence at hand.
Alaskatnt said: “The quality of the ingredients are essential as are the manufacturing practices as well and how bioavailable the supplement ends up being.”
That’s just more of the same lame off-topic babble, but since you brought it up, let’s consider that Protandim fails miserably with respect to manufacturing practices. Their pills were manufactured by Chemins Company which got busted by the FDA for lying, falsifying records, and illegally spiking supplements with Ephedra – the owner went to prison as a result. A different sketchy company was eventually hired to manufacture Protandim, because it was cheaper, which culminated in a multi-million dollar recall fiasco because the products were contaminated with metal shards.
This is why you perform the song and dance routine of avoiding saying anything relevant about Protandim, because any aspect of the product that people dig into shows it to be worthless at best and outright fraudulent at worst.
Alaskatnt said: “Some vitamins are fat soluble others are water soluble…doctors do NOT know everything…drugs…Enough Said.”
Too much said in fact. Again, this rambling is just nonsensical noise and has nothing to do with Protandim.
Alaskatnt said: “I plan on trying Protandim myself and VOGEL enough said, you sound like a broken record. Put your energy and effort elsewhere.”
So you chose to make this a personal attack. What tiny balls you must have to sit their pecking gibberish on your keyboard while thinking that you can influence where and how I expend my energy.
Alaskatnt said: “Protandim may not change everyone’s life but it has made a difference in some lives.”
Allow me to correct that statement. Protandim has zero therapeutic value. The only difference it has made in people’s lives has been negative – i.e., collateral damage from people being habitually lied to and defrauded of their money and sucked into a destructive pyramid scheme.
Alaskatnt said: “Is it any different that Tylenol vs. Aleve?”
Yes, it is very different and you couldn’t have come up with a less apropose comparison. Tylenol and Aleve both have a long history of demonstrated effectiveness, have the FDAs blessing to be marketed as OTC pain relievers, are very reasonably priced, and have no association with pyramid schemes.
Alaskatnt said: “What works for you – you use.”
Are you alleging that Protandim “works” for something? You can’t even provide a single verifiable case of Protandim demonstrating therapeutic effects in any person ever in its history. You are peddling worthless garbage.
Alaskatnt said: “Yes so there may be some overly excited distributors that make claims like snake oil salesmen”
Yes indeed; like, all of them! The company itself as well.
Alaskatnt said: “snake oil worked for some people”
So now you’re pretending to not know the definition of snake oil? Allow me to clarify…
Snake oil = “a substance with no real medicinal value sold as a remedy for all diseases.”
So no, snake oil doesn’t work for some people. It is by definition worthless.
Alaskatnt said: “Face it, it’s BUYER BEWARE.”
Exactly. Beware of semi-literate hustlers and parasites who lie about while foisting worthless overpriced placebos and pyramid schemes on those who are naïve, gullible, and desperate.
I have no burden of proof since I made no assertion (does nothing for wound healing) and I am a Protandim user. I have an opinion, or I wouldn’t take it. It begs the question why you care, since the user had a positive experience seems to incite you somehow? Why not just be glad for her whether she’s right or you are?
It’s an anecdote, but what do you have to prove it doesn’t, since you’re saying so, Vogel?
Glen Stanbaugh: “It’s an anecdote, but what do you have to prove it doesn’t, since you’re saying so, Vogel?”
What do I have? Aside from the lengthy history of drooling idiot distributors making far-fetched and illegal claims about every MLM product in existence miraculously curing every disease known to mankind, what else is needed? The burden of proof is on you and LifeVantage to show that Protandim provides even the slightest of medicinal benefits. It has been a decade now and still nothing but the same vapid anonymous huckster tales. It used to be mildly amusing; then it became mildly frustrating; now it’s just extremely boring.
Makes you wish the FDA regulated the supplement industry. Who knows what’s real and not?!??
The nutritional supplement industry IS regulated by the FDA.
Randy Ice said: “The nutritional supplement industry IS regulated by the FDA.”
De jure perhaps but not really de facto. The supplement industry is regulated mainly under DSHEA, which is essentially toothless (i.e., largely ineffective and weakly enforced). What the sentence might have said instead is “the nutritional supplement industry is poorly/weakly regulated by the FDA.” Better to focus on the realities than semantics.
Aside from the obvious issues relative to breaching the dog owner’s trust, there is not enough information to conclude anything whatsoever regarding Protandim’s usefulness for this dog or any other. It’s just someone’s opinion lacking even basic facts to add needed context. This contributor should not be involved in any situation involving a sacred trust like pet care.
I agree with one thing, if they don’t feel they personally benefit from taking Protandim, they should quit taking it. As we know in healthcare, patients often quit taking medications that do benefit them because they don’t perceive a benefit, but this is a supplement.
I know from personal experience that Protandim works. My wound is healing that I have had for 2-1/2 years. I’ve spent a small fortune on Co-pays, medical supplies for dressing it everyday, & go to a wound clinic 2 times a week. After 6 weeks on Protandim, my wound is showing new skin forming 1/2″ in places & 1 inch in another. I am to the point that I would try anything to help heal this wound. The Dr. & nurses at the wound care have tried everything and nothing helped. Most medications just made it worse.
I first noticed that I’m not nearly as tired as I was by 4 pm each day. I haven’t been able to work outside in my flowers for 4-1/2 years. I’ve been out there already multiple times this Spring.
I’m in my late 70’s. Have always been active & worked full time until September when I was 76. I had the same employment for 24 years.
I would tell you what my Dr told me. I asked if there was anything in it that would not work with my 2 RX’s. He told me there was nothing in it that would hurt, so why wouldn’t you try, if you think it might work!
Thanks.
Good for you! Keep us informed of your progress.
Entertaining story, but ingesting Protandim does nothing for wound healing.
Eva, I am so very happy for you. My husband & I have spent a fortune also on all of my Diagnosed Illnesses. We are broke. I know how frustrating it is to try everything out there & you are not getting better but worse.
I am so happy that the Protandim worked for you & also that there was nothing in it that would work against your 2 Prescriptions.
Are you all better now? How are you doing today?
I don’t know what to think about Protandim. I have been taking it everyday for over 12 months now and I haven’t noticed any difference in anything! I asked my personal doctor about it and she spent the weekend looking up what she could on it. I asked her if I could get the T-Bar lab test done before I started taking it and then again after about 1 to 3 months to compare the results.
She said she didnt, know what to code it for insurance purposes, and the local lab did not perform that test. She said if we did get a result she didn’t know what to compare the numbers to. There was nothing as a doctor that she could tell me was good or bad about the results because she couldn’t find any medical studies on it.
I also asked my cardiologist about Protandim and he told me basically the same thing.
I sent Protandim at least two emails asking them for guidance on getting the T-Bar blood test done and they offered me nothing. I also asked them if there have been any studies on the thousands of people who have been taking the product now over the past several years (as it would seem like an obvious thing to do to substantiate any of the numerous claims about it). I got nothing! Not one single email, letter, text message or phone call as to where I could get any testing performed or any current or recent studies on people taking Protandim now.
Very disappointing! The only thing I can surmise from this is that Protandim is not what it is claimed to be. That Life Advantage does not want to fund any studies to back up their claims or further their investigations of the product in the interest of science, good health, or general ethics.
A friend of mine is a distributor and has claimed how well this stuff works on her dog. I feed her dog twice a day and give her a Protandim every day. However, I stopped giving her the Protandim to her dog to see if there was any change. I asked my friend if she noticed any changes in her did since I had been giving her the pill. She said yes. That her coat was shinnyer, her ears were no longer infected, she had more energy, looked healthier and acted much better.
Little did she know the dog had not had more than three days worth of the Protandim! Her observations were all self induced illusionary deceptions brought on by her own desire and/or expectations to see a change, of which she attributed to the Protandim. Just like what I have seen in every person who sells this stuff…
I have subsequently canceled my subscription to their product and feel like I was scanned. That the time I took the product was a waste of time. I didn’t notice one single thing in my health that was better. Not even slightly! Nothing!
My personal opinion is that this is equal to snake oil of the old days. Their claims are over stated and exaggerated, if not an out right liei have no confidence in this product and don’t believe any of their claims because I have received no support from them in my quest to substantiate their claims in my own personal health. What are they afraid of? What are they hiding? Just more trash in this world… And I’m not buying it…
Steven, I have to disagree with your first statement. It looks to me as if you know exactly what to think about Protandim, and you are spot-on. Great post.
You deliberately stopped giving your friends dog the protandim without her knowledge nor consent? I’m sorry but that seems completely unethical in multiple ways to include her dog in your own “study” without any form of consent. I disregard you entire statement due to this simple, unethical and down right rude act. If I had been the owner I would have been furious. This statement has zero merit simply because it is obviously biased and disgustingly accumulated
Unethical and rude? ROFL. It was an act of mercy.
You should direct your outrage in a more appropriate direction, like at Greg for claiming (illegally and without basis in fact) that Protandim alleviates arthritis in dogs.
MLM snakeoil hustlers sure do have think skin.
Oh she got the training just fine and in fact she flys all over the country giving seminars……I went to a seminar, I have mentioned before, the one line the guy said over and over was “there are a lot of old sick people out there”, it’s in quotes because those were his exact words.
To me that pretty much sums it up. BTW he wasn’t talking about we must help all those sick folks he was talking about big money to be made. It was to recruit distributors not to help people.
Sounds like she did not receive adequate training. I was taught that we can not say Protandim will treat or cure any disease until we have scientific studies showing that it does. All we can say Protandim does is lower Oxidative Stress.
What effect that has on people will vary from person to person. LifeVantage puts great importance on its distributors being compliant in their presentations, but some distributors don’t seem to get the message. Thankfully, most of us do.
Steve said: “Little did she know the dog had not had more than three days worth of the Protandim! Her observations were all self induced illusionary deceptions brought on by her own desire and/or expectations to see a change, of which she attributed to the Protandim. Just like what I have seen in every person who sells this stuff… ”
eye opening comments, oh I guess Greg would say that the dog had not been on the protanDUM long enough to make an appropiate evaluation………
Greg, my sister, a devoted Christian woman, and distributor of Protandim certainly implies that it cures x, y, & z. The recruiting meeting I went to implied the same, so people are saying in so many words that it does stuff it hasn’t been proven to do at all….it’s wrong. Btw who wouldn’t believe a Christian, I mean really. My sister in her defense believes all the babble that flows about Protandim.
About the recall, there was ONE pill, in ONE bottle, that had metal in it. When the source of that metal fragment was found (it came from a contaminated batch of one ingredient), the company recalled all bottles filled from that batch of product, as a precaution, and from then on has gotten that ingredient from a more reliable source. Since then there have been no problems about product contamination of Protandim. NOT ONE PERSON was harmed by metal contamination of Protandim, so stop trying to make it out that this was some major disaster.
The exact amounts of each ingredient are found in the patents, which can be viewed online by anyone. Nothing is being hidden.
Never, at any time, have I ever claimed that Protandim is a treatment or cure for any disease. Nor has any compliant distributor. Yes, a few ignorant distributors have made unwarranted exaggerations, but that is not the company’s fault; those people were told to not make disease-cure claims.
Greg B said: “About the recall, there was ONE pill, in ONE bottle, that had metal in it….stop trying to make it out that this was some major disaster.”
That’s a fairy tale Greg. I’ve perused every official document and press release pertaining to the recall and it was never claimed by anyone that only one pill in one bottle was affected.
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm331258.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm331323.htm
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/enforcement/enforce_rpt-Product-Tabs.cfm?action=select&recall_number=F-0876-2013&w=01162013&lang=eng
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protandim#Voluntary_recall
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=9078917-1174-5645&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=2950&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d849146
http://investor.lifevantage.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=725221
Protandim was being manufactured with turmeric that had been contaminated with metal shards. They initially recalled 10 lots (roughly 250,000 bottles), and subsequently expanded the recall to include even more batches of product – the total cost of the recall was $6 million. Fair to say that this $6 million dollar fiasco was a “major disaster.”
This isn’t surprising when one considers the company’s lackadaisical attitude towards the manufacturing of their product. The company that they used to make it for several years was Chemins Chemical Company, whose supplements were illegally spiked with ephedra, and which killed and injured consumers. The CEO/owner tried to lie about it to the FDA and went to prison as a result. And THIS is the company that was hired to make Protandim! That speaks volumes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemins
Greg B said: “The exact amounts of each ingredient are found in the patents, which can be viewed online by anyone. Nothing is being hidden.”
The details are not listed on the product label; they are not listed on the product webpage; they are not listed on the company’s product info or FAQ sheets. So for all intents and purposes, yes, the details are being hidden. Telling people that they have to go search through patents to find the details is patently absurd.
https://www.lifevantage.com/products/protandim/
https://www.lifevantage.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Protandim-Product-Sheet-V.06.pdf
https://www.lifevantage.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/US-Protandim-FAQs-V.05.pdf
Greg B said: “Never, at any time, have I ever claimed that Protandim is a treatment or cure for any disease. Nor has any compliant distributor. Yes, a few ignorant distributors have made unwarranted exaggerations, but that is not the company’s fault; those people were told to not make disease-cure claims.”
That’s a fallacious argument. Obviously, if a distributor is a “compliant distributor”, then by definition they are not making illegal claims. The problem is that too many distributors are not compliant. The illegal claims are rampant; that is most certainly the company’s fault, and it is ultimately the company that bears legally responsibility.
As for the claims you have made personally, I don’t recall whether or not you have made any specific statements that violated US law, but you have most definitely supported, defended, and applauded every other distributor who has come here making such claims. It’s worth pointing out that you have also been violating the company’s policies and procedures for over a year by posting anonymously on this website, so you don’t be so quick to give yourself that wholly undeserved pat on the back for integrity.
Greg said: “Sounds like she did not receive adequate training. I was taught that we can not say Protandim will treat or cure any disease until we have scientific studies showing that it does. All we can say Protandim does is lower Oxidative Stress…LifeVantage puts great importance on its distributors being compliant in their presentations, but some distributors don’t seem to get the message. Thankfully, most of us do.”
You are talking out of both sides of your mouth Greg and you know it. You have encouraged and applauded literally everyone who has posted any kind of vague sketchy medical therapeutic claim about the product here. It’s clear that your training, like that of all the other distributors, was wholly inadequate, or, like all the other distributors, you simply pay it no heed whatsoever. I’ve seen enough distributor training videos and documents, as well as comments from company execs like David Brown and Kirby Zenger, to know full well that the company tacitly, if not explicitly, encourages illegal therapeutic claims. In fact it would be fair to say that the entire premise for Protandim is predicated on these faulty, baseless, and deceptive claims.
Greg said: “What effect that has on people will vary from person to person.”
Riiiight…varies from zero to nothing. You can’t make a single valid claim as to any tangible health effect that anyone can expect from taking Protandim. The product is utterly worthless, as are your feeble attempts to defend it.
Greg says: “Never, at any time, have I ever claimed that Protandim is a treatment or cure for any disease. Nor has any compliant distributor. Yes, a few ignorant distributors have made unwarranted exaggerations, but that is not the company’s fault; those people were told to not make disease-cure claims.”
Never say never, Greg! You’ve been called out several times for being noncompliant, and Vogel and I have both had to post the regulations and the “To Say or Not to Say” document by Lifevantage. Here are some of your statements:
Greg B says
October 22, 2013 at 2:03 pm
I, like almost everyone else who takes it, am relying on the research that says it lowers OS for just about everyone* who takes it. I have noticed a few changes myself, in that I sleep better, and my eyesight has improved to the point that I may soon need new spectacles. [Let me stress that my results may not be experienced by others taking Protandim; OS affects people in different ways, so lowering it will manifest itself in different ways.]
Greg B says
February 11, 2015 at 2:30 am
It is great that you are giving Protandim a try, but keep in mind that whether or not it helps with your Plantar Fasciitis pain, your oxidative stress level will have been significantly reduced, and that will be good for your overall health. Also note that it may take longer than 30 days for Protandim to really affect your condition. Some people with chronic illnesses report that it has taken several months before they saw real improvement. I hope Protandim works well for you!
Greg B
Greg B says
October 19, 2013 at 12:47 pm
Did you know that one of our distributors is Ozzie Newsome, the GM of the Baltimore Ravens football team, and that most (if not all) of the players on the team use Protandim? Experience has shown that Protandim helps athletes recover quicker from strenuous exercise, so players don’t need to spend as much time on the bench taking breathers.
It anti-inflammatory properties also speed recovery from injuries and surgery.
Greg B says
August 5, 2014 at 12:29 am
Sounds like the fellow at the meeting erroneously created the impression that Protandim is designed to treat ailments and help sick people recover. Now it does do this for some, but certainly not all.
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We had a very lengthy discussion about distributors making illegal claims and started posting links to them and filing reports to the FTC and FDA. One was a Dr. Benson, and even after we pointed out his website, you seemed to have a hard time understanding how Dr. Benson’s claims were noncompliant:
Greg B says
August 26, 2014 at 5:28 pm
I just looked at Dr Benson’s site, and while his wording could use some tightening (it should say that the 40% reduction is an average, and that the LSU skin cancer study was on mice, not humans, and it should not say that Protandim was developed over decades of research [Dr McCord researched free radicals and OS for many years, but didn’t research Protandim until Mr Myhill brought his formula to him]), I see nothing wrong with this.
What problems did you see?
To which Vogel replied:
Vogel says
August 26, 2014 at 6:17 pm
Greg said: “I just looked at Dr Benson’s site, and while his wording could use some tightening (it should say that the 40% reduction is an average, and that the LSU skin cancer study was on mice, not humans, and it should not say that Protandim was developed over decades of research [Dr McCord researched free radicals and OS for many years, but didn’t research Protandim until Mr Myhill brought his formula to him]), I see nothing wrong with this. What problems did you see?”
That’s the problem in a nutshell Greg; you’re oblivious. The statement that I spoon-fed you (and which you ignored in your reply) was “Protandim is totally natural yet stronger than a FDA-approved drug for multiple sclerosis” If you can’t find anything wrong with the statement then you simply don’t know anything at all about the regulations or what an illegal promotional claim looks like, despite the fact that it’s even spelled out for you in your distributor handbook. I can’t seriously believe you could be that ignorant, so we’ll have to assume it’s just more gaming on your part. It wasn’t even a good effort on your part conman.
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Then, a little over a year later, YOU brought up that same MS study. As Vogel pointed out to you previously, it is illegal for a distributor to link to a study like this:
Greg B says
November 9, 2015 at 1:07 pm
Joe, did you ever see this? http://registration.akm.ch/einsicht.php?XNABSTRACT_ID=137548&XNSPRACHE_ID=2&XNKONGRESS_ID=150&XNMASKEN_ID=900
So Greg, you might not be quite as bad as some other distributors, but you aren’t innocent, either. I would venture to say that the vast majority of distributors resort to making claims outside of the regulations. How else can they possibly sell this stuff? I know that the distributor who sold me on it made all kinds of claims, for both my health and for my horse!