ASEA Max GXL and Protandim LifeVantage Review
I recently experienced the decision-making process of evaluating 3 multilevel supplement companies, all specifically focused on antioxidants. Not being a network marketing expert added to my comparison “shopping” task, although as a chiropractor the science involved in the products was more familiar to me.
There were 4 areas of each network marketing company that I wanted to compare:
1) the PRODUCT
2) the PEOPLE involved
3) RESEARCH
4) the BUSINESS / INCOME structure
My research was by no means perfect and I only personally tested 2 of the 3 products (ASEA and Protandim). However, when talking to other people with more experience and knowledge in both business and technical aspects, I felt that my findings gave me a fair picture of comparing “apples to apples.”
The PRODUCT – The 3 companies seek to increase the antioxidant action in the body (quenching free radicals) although they use different means to achieve that goal. Both LifeVantage / Protandim and MAX GXL, for example, have tested the glutathione surge (a powerful free radical scavenger) associated with their respective products. ASEA had an investigation that showed the VO2 Max increase after taking their product.
ASEA’s product is a liquid (tastes like pool water, chlorine smell) in a 32-ounce bottle that costs approximately $ 40 and a consumer can use 1 to 4 bottles per month depending on the severity of the health problem. MAX GXL cost between $ 70 and $ 170 per month, again depending on the severity of the problem. LifeVantage’s Protandim (30 pills, 1 / day) cost about $ 48 per month, and that amount could double if a person was overloading the body through strenuous exercise and / or illness. All figures are approximate and serious investors should do their own due diligence.
The reason they differ in their monthly costs is that they have different mechanisms of action. MAX GXL has a proprietary delivery system for its antioxidants, while ASEA uses reactive oxygen species to boost antioxidants. LifeVantage / Protandim is the most cost effective because it stimulates the body to increase its own production of antioxidant enzymes. These enzymes actually work many more times effectively, quenching a million free radicals per enzyme every second.
THE PEOPLE: The foremost research scientist among ASEA, LifeVantage and MAX GXL is Dr. Joe McCord, Lifevantage’s Chief Scientist. A winner of the Elliot Cresson Award (now known as the Benjamin Franklin Medal), Dr. McCord shares this distinction with Henry Ford and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as other notables. The Franklin Institute says:
“Among the highest honors in science, the Franklin Institute awards identify individuals whose great innovation has benefited humanity, advanced science, launched new fields of research, and deepened our understanding of the universe.”
The business management of the 3 marketing companies appears to be carried out by strong, accomplished and experienced managers, although not as much time was spent researching this as relying on the opinions of independent business advisers.
The RESEARCH: Peer-reviewed research studies on a specific product are rare among supplement companies. This type of research is the gold standard that doctors use, depending on this information (and product) to use and trust. The major pharmaceutical companies sponsor these studies to sell their products.
LifeVantage is the only company that has 9 peer-reviewed studies of the Protandim product, and these were independent research not paid for by the company. Protandim is conducting many more independent university studies.
The BUSINESS – In this area of analysis, I trusted people with more experience in Network Marketing and an independent business consultant. The IRS has in the past questioned the binary form of multi-level marketing, as a pyramid scheme, more dedicated to selling distributions than actual products. This is an area where each person should do their own due diligence. ASEA has a binary structure; LifeVantage is a unilevel matrix, and the structure of MAX GXL is unknown to me. Although I didn’t find out about the ASEA and MAX GXL payout percentage, LifeVantage is just under 60%.
Finally, remember that all network marketers do their best, “wowing” potential new distributors and customers. Moderate your rush “down the aisle” with your own research, ask others with more experience for their opinion, and remember, like any long-term relationship, it takes a lot of work. I think I chose the best candidate on LIfevantage, because their product is backed by research, high-level scientific expertise, credibility, and performance.