Tahitian Noni gets noticed

PROVO -- The national profile of Tahitian Noni Juice continues to rise -- for better or worse.

Provo-based Tahitian Noni International is one of the fastest- growing companies in Utah, but while the juice fueling the company's profits adds endorsers like NBA superstar Chauncey Billups and enjoys unsolicited plugs from radio talk-show curmudgeon Don Imus and NFL lightning rod Terrell Owens, it also has been the the subject of two negative television reports in recent weeks.

First, the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles sent a news team undercover and found two Tahitian Noni distributors making improper claims about the drink's health benefits.

Then ABC's national morning show "Good Morning America" aired a segment that said noni juice in general naturally contains some helpful vitamins and minerals but only provides an energy boost because of its high natural sugar content. That report came just one month after the show's co-host, Robin Roberts, revealed on air that she drinks noni juice for breakfast each morning. Roberts uses a different brand from Tahitian Noni.

The two Los Angeles women who tried to sell Tahitian Noni Juice to the undercover television news reporters shared testimonials that the juice healed bad burns on one woman, restored eyesight to another suffering from macular degeneration and helped an AIDS patient survive.

"Even dementia," one distributor said, "if it's caught that early, then it will put it in reverse."

The company is investigating the incident, said Andre Peterson, Tahitian Noni director of public relations.

"Distributors are not allowed to make curative or income claims, as the company is not allowed to make those kinds of claims," Peterson said. "Tahitian Noni Juice enhances the immune system; it is high in antioxidants and high in free radicals, so it enhances energy."

The company has 1.3 million distributors worldwide, Peterson said, and a team of 32 compliance managers around the world checking Web sites and advertising created by distributors.

"If we find a distributor has made claims, we'll investigate," he said. "We'll send them a letter and ask them for their side. If they have made medical claims, we educate them and ask them to make a commitment not to make claims in the future. If they continue to make claims, we take action and place them on suspension. If they still continue, we discontinue them as distributors."

The report by "Good Morning America" featured a nutritionist at New York University Medical Center, Samantha Heller. Heller said the noni plant has been part of traditional Polynesian medicine for centuries but that scientific evidence about its effectiveness in treating cancer, hypertension and diabetes is limited.

"It will give you a short burst of energy," according to GMA's Web site, "but only because of its high natural sugar content. Because it's from a plant, it also contains some vitamins and minerals like potassium, which your body needs."

"She was talking specifically about energy," Peterson said. "Most of our athletes who use feel it gives them more energy. The fact we have no added sugar means they're getting that energy from something other than sugar if they're drinking Tahitian Noni."

Billups is an All-Star guard and won an NBA championship two years ago with the Detroit Pistons. Owens famously told media leading up to last year's Super Bowl that he was drinking Tahitian Noni as he healed from a broken leg and sprained ankle. Owens played in the game against medical advice and had a big game for the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost to the New England Patriots.

Imus frequently comments about Tahitian Noni on his radio program. His wife started having him drink it to boost his energy. He recently said on the air that it seems to boost his energy.

What exactly noni juice does is still being studied.

"Truth be told, a lot of wool is being pulled over people's eyes," University of Hawaii scientist Will McClatchey told the Deseret Morning News last year.

In December, Tahitian Noni issued a press release about a University of Illinois study that found Tahitian Noni Juice was high in antioxidants and may protect people from oxidative damage induced by cigarette smoke.

One thing's certain. Skeleton star Zach Lund could use the juice without risk of being banned from the Olympics. Lund was bounced from the Torino Winter Games because of an additive in the medication he was taking to stave off baldness. Tahitian Noni Juice recently passed ConsumerLab.com's athletic banned substances screening program, clearing it for more than 170 banned substances on the 2005 World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list.

Tahitian Noni International has more than 600 employees in Utah, with headquarters in Provo and a bottling plant, warehouse and research facility in American Fork.

E-mail: twalch@desnews.com

Copyright C 2006 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.