Vital Reds

Unfortunately, I have had to return my order, unopened, as my doctor tells me that it is unsuitable for my state of health following very recent tests (contra the indications).

I would be most grateful for a refund, as quoted in their video, as soon as possible. What was curious, however, was that as well as my initial order for three month's supply of $95.61, I was also charged a further $109.95 on the same date (ie, 10th of September), presumably for further bottles that were not requested?

Many thanks for your attention in this matter.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I am a recently retired perfusionist, someone who operates a heart-lung machine during open heart surgery. Dr. Gundry was a well-respected heart surgeon who made a fortune on inventing a retrograde cannulae that made it possible to more effectively stop a beating heart while it was being operated on.

I attended national and international meetings where he presented groundbreaking material. So I listened to his presentation, thought it made sense, and going by his footprint and reputation he left in our field, I purchased six jars of Vital Reds.

I personally feel and look no different. While it tastes good, you may be better off buying some high-quality preserve and add it to your yogurt and such.

Bottom line, save your hard-earned money. If you are looking to lose weight, do it the one and only way; watch what calories you put in and increase the calories you expend.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I am 50 years old and have been going menopause for about a year. I've gained about 30 lbs and have lost a lot of my natural energy. I also suffer from joint pain and inflammation occasionally, for which I take natural supplements and it keeps it at bay fairly well. I was excited to try the Vital Reds for the health benefits and natural energy it claims to give.

It doesn't taste bad to me, but it doesn't completely dissolve though, so a bit gritty.

I was thinking 3 months was a good start to try something new. Then I received 9 months supply. And $400 was charged. I thought, well, if it's as good as they claim, I'll use it. However, after one week of taking it, I haven't felt anything as far as increased energy, which was claimed to be felt almost immediately, but have had the WORST knee pain and swelling in both of my knees and wrists, AND hands. Very disappointed. I also gave it to my husband (who is a family practice doctor) and it gave him terrible reflux both days he took it. He won't take it again now.

So, after trying MULTIPLE TIMES to call the customer care professionals, I'm wondering if anyone works there at all. Or does their phone system keep you going in circles endlessly?

I was under the impression I had 90 days to return.

But I would need to actually SPEAK to someone for that to happen. Now I'm stuck with 9 jars of very expensive product neither I nor my husband can take.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I bought four tubs of Vital Reds several months ago. I found the taste quite OK and initially found that I had more energy. However, for two months after taking it, I hardly had a good night's sleep. I stopped taking it and after several nights my sleep pattern improved. In order to prove to myself that it was the Vital Reds causing my problems, I began taking it again and the sleep problems returned. Last night I felt as though I didn't sleep at all but I know I did experience some sleep. I am assuming I can receive a total refund according to their guarantee, but as I live in Australia, this could be difficult.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Ingredients in Vital Reds - There is a lot to scrutinize about this product.

My husband and I have been using Vital Reds in our morning protein drink for more than a year. When the supply was nearly gone, I ordered more. This batch is different, however, in color and taste than what we had before. The color is dark orange instead of dark red-purple and it tastes different.

When I contacted Gundry about this, I got an email response, a portion of which I am showing below:

"…Because we use natural ingredients to formulate Vital Reds, there may be occasional differences in color, taste, and texture between batches. This is because we source our ingredients based on seasonality and availability. (For example, this batch contains slightly different cinnamon than we usually use.)
Rest assured, the benefits you've come to expect from Vital Reds are the same — the only difference is in the appearance and flavor. ..."

So, they admit they change the formulation based on "availability". How can the benefits be the same if the proportions of ingredients are changed? How can this be described on the label as Red Berry Dietary Supplement when it is now dark orange?

This prompted me to read the list of ingredients. The rules for labeling ingredients require that they be listed in the order of the highest concentration or percentage or weight to the lowest. The further down the list, the less you get of that ingredient.The charts below show that the formulation has changed between 7/3/2018 and 11/19/2019 batches. Since the list of ingredients does not indicate what the concentration or percentage or weight of each ingredient is, it is possible that 90% or more of the powder is dried carrot (the first ingredient in both charts), followed by smaller and smaller amounts of the following ingredients on the list. The very last ingredients might be a small drop of, say, watermelon juice or pear extract. I could not find any internet source that showed carrots in the top ten richest foods in polyphenols, but they certainly are a lot less expensive than most of those foods that are highest in polyphenols. Strange that carrots would be the top ingredient on the Vital Reds Polyphenol Blend list. Carrots are, however, probably one of the cheaper ingredients on the list.

Note in the charts below that apple pectin has gone from the 20th ingredient in 2018 to the 10th ingredient in 2019. Apples are a lot less expensive than some of the other ingredients, like European black currant fruit extract (standardized for minimum 25% anthocyanins) which dropped from the 8th ingredient in 2018 to the 13th ingredient in 2019.

Green - lower concentration or percentage or weight in 2019 than 2018.

Pink - higher concentration or percentage or weight in 2019 than 2018.

18199B Mfg date 07/03/2018, 0135K9 Mfg date 11/19/2019.

POLYPHENOL BLEND 1,760 mg, POLYPHENOL BLEND 1,760 mg.

1 Carrot, 1 Carrot
2 Organic apple peel, 2 Organic apple peel
3 Grape skin extract, 3 Grape skin extract
4 Grape seed extract
5 Aronia berry extract, 4 Aronia berry extract
6 Organic flax seed, 5 Organic flax seed
7 Mulberry fruit
6 Grape seed extract
7 Acai fruit extract (Euterpe oleracea)
8 Acerola fruit extract
8 European black currant fruit extract (standardized for minimum 25% anthocyanins)
9 Apple, 9 Apple
10 Apple Pectin
10 Organic beet root, 11 Organic beet root
12 Blackberry
13 European black currant fruit extract (standardized for minimum 25% anthocyanins)
14 Blueberry Fruit concentrate
11 Cranberry fruit extract, 15 Cranberry fruit extract
12 Mango, 16 Mango
17 Mulberry fruit
13 Papaya, 18 Papaya
14 Acai fruit extract (Euterpe oleracea)
19 Pomegranate
20 Red raspberry
15 Strawberry, 21 Strawberry
16 Blueberry Fruit concentrate
17 Pomegranate
18 Blackberry
19 Acerola fruit extract
20 Apple pectin
21 Red raspberry
22 Pineapple
23 Orange
24 Cantaloupe, 22 Cantaloupe
23 Cherry
25 Grape, 24 Grape
26 Watermelon
27 Grapefruit, 25 Grapefruit
28 Plum
29 Pear
30 Lemon, 26 Lemon
31 Lime, 27 Lime
28 Orange
32 Cherry
33 Peach, 29 Peach
30 Pear
31 Pineapple
32 Plum
33 Watermelon
34 Herberine hydrochloride, 34 Herberine hydrochloride

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Started having bag muscle aches, getting worse. I had them when I took statins, have not changed anything else, can this cause my muscle aches? I am allergic to statins.

Can I be allergic to Vital Reds?

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Still have not seen any results. I like the taste and know it is doing some good just for the value of the ingredients. I am taking one spoonful a day in the morning. Not sure yet whether or not I would recommend this to a friend. I did put yes in my Bottom Line. There should be a choice of Not Sure Yet.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I bought this product to help clear up my husband's skin condition, which he has had for years.

We have both been taking the product for about 6 weeks. We have each lost a few pounds (which is good for me, but not for him) and our bowels are working better.

His skin may be marginally better. It's hard to say. He did have excess bleeding when a spot on his face broke open in the shower, which he has never had before. Maybe the product has thinned his blood. We are going to get check up with our GP in a few weeks.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I was both intrigued and wary of Dr Gundry's Vital Reds.

So many promises! How could it all be true? And safe? And not a scam? The marketing is almost too sophisticated. Is it a conflict of interest for a MD to be selling product? Is it ethical if the product is not tested for safety or FDA approved? There are many claims with Vital Reds, and while Dr. Gundry does link them to science, nutrition, and human health, until there is a study with data, they will always be just claims.

Dr. Gundry is a legitimately accomplished physician and surgeon, who seems to have the best interest of people and patients in mind. He's also a clever marketer, which is unusual for a physician.

So as a skeptic who believes in evidence-based medicine, I went out on a limb to try Dr. Gundry Vital Reds.

I've used this product for almost a month. I don't believe a month is probably long enough to gage the effect. Here's my observations after 1 month.

• Skin tone and color: no change
• Bags and circles under eyes: no change
• Wrinkles: no change
• Redness of skin: no change
• Break outs: no change
• Weight: gained 5 pounds. I was also on vacation eating shave ice in Hawaii.
• Mood: no change, alternating between level, to anxious, to depressed
• Blood Pressure: no change. I have a healthy baseline.
• Cholesterol: I have a healthy baseline but had a blood test before I started, so I can compare in 6 months / 1 year.M
• Mental clarity: too soon to tell. I've definitely had days where I feel extra clear, but I've also had bad days when I'm up in my head. I'll be watching for changes here.
• Energy: there seems to be a clarity/energy boost that comes with the drink. But I do get an energy boost with my morning cappuccino too. Many have pointed out that it's possibly the caffeine from the green tea extract. I'll continue to watch to see if it's a continued, sustained energy.
• Gut/bloating/digestionL not a problem for me really. I have not noticed anything different.

It's definitely not doing any harm and I'm willing and curious to give it three months. That'll be the point at which I'll decide. I find it to be expensive, so I probably wouldn't reorder after that.

I'm going to have my husband take it too, but I won't tell him all of the wonderful things it's supposed to do for him, so that he's not primed.

I'll write another review in 3 months.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Product is easily taken with fruit smoothy. Haven't noticed any overt physical changes. Experienced no weight reduction. No increase in energy. Considering another order but waiting for discounted pricing.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

We have gone through 2 bottles of Vital Red so far. Have not noticed any significant changes or improvement yet.

After a careful review at the Gainesville VZ and Shands, They have suggested it has too many ingredients to be effective. They were not impressed.

We will finish the bottles we have but unless the results improve, we won't reorder.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend