Noni Research - Research - Scientist Biographies

Brett West

Director
Noni Benefits Research
Tahitian Noni International

Country of Origin
United States

Education and Professional Experience
Bachelor of Science, Zoology / Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University
Master of Science, Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Arizona

Brett West has worked with the Research and Development team at Tahitian Noni International since 1997, researching the benefits of noni.

Accomplishments
Approval of TAHITIAN NONI© Juice as a safe novel food within the European Union
Several awarded and pending United States patens relative to Morinda citrifolia

Awards
Graduate school scholarship and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) stipend.

Publications, Presentations, and Patents

West BJ, Tani H, Palu AK, Tolson CB, Jensen CJ. Safety tests and antinutrient analyses of noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) leaf. J Sci Food Agri. Publication in press.
West BJ, Tolson CB, Vest RG, Jensen S, Lundell TG. Mineral variability among 177 commercial noni juices. International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 2006; 57 (7/8):556-558.
West BJ, Jensen CJ, Westendorf J, and White LD. A Safety Review of Noni Fruit Juice. Journal of Food Science 2006 October; 71(8):R100-R106. (http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2006.00164.x)
West BJ. Hepatotoxicity from interferon-beta not noni juice. Digestion 2006;74:47-48.
West BJ, Jensen CJ, Westendorf J. Noni juice is not hepatotoxic. World J Gastroenterol 2006 June 14; 12(22):3616-3619. (http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/12/3616.asp)
Ma DL, West BJ, Su CX, Gao JH, Liu TZ, Liu YW. Evaluation of the ergogenic potential of noni juice. Phytotherapy Research. 2007 Jun 29; (Epub ahead of print).
Deng S, West BJ, Palu AK, Zhou BN, Jensen CJ. Noni as an anxiolytic and sedative: A mechanism involving its gamma-aminobutyric acidergic effects. Phytomedicine. 2007 Jun 8; (Epub ahead of print).
Deng S, Palu AK, West BJ, Su CX, Zhou BN, Jensen JC. Lipoxygenase Inhibitory Constituents of the Fruits of Noni (Morinda citrifolia) Collected in Tahiti. J Nat Prod. 2007 May;70 (5): 859-862.
Palu AK, West BJ, Jensen J, White L. Knowing your noni tree and traditional usage eliminates confusion. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2006 Dec 22;351(3):577. Epub 2006 Nov 7.
Palu AK, West B, Jensen J. Not all noni liquid dietary supplements are created equal. American Journal of Hematology 2005 May;79(1):81.
Wang MY, West BJ, Jensen CJ, Nowicki D, Su C, Palu AK, Anderson G. Morinda citrifolia (Noni): a literature review and recent advances in Noni research. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2002 Dec;23(12):1127-41. (http://www.chinaphar.com/1671-4083/23/1127.pdf)
Brett J. West, ‘Afa K. Palu, and Chen X. Su. Detoxification activity of noni leaf water extract. Poster 149. 62nd Northwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Boise, ID. June 17-20, 2007. (http://acs.confex.com/acs/norm07/techprogram/P45427.HTM).
Brett J West and Afa Palu. Evaluation of the allergenic potential of Morinda citrifolia L. leaf proteins. AGFD 158. The 232nd American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA. September 10-14, 2006(http://oasys2.confex.com/acs/232nm/techprogram/P950562.HTM)
Shixin Deng, Afa K Palu, Bing-Nan Zhou, Jarakae C. Jensen, and Brett J West. Noni contains competitive ligand(s) binding to GABAa agonist receptors as an anxiolytic. AGFD 67. The 232nd American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA. September 10-14, 2006. (http://oasys2.confex.com/acs/232nm/techprogram/P995203.HTM)
Afa K. Palu, Bing-Nan Zhou, Shixin Deng, and Brett J. West. Morinda citrifolia L. Noni: An angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor. AGFD 130. The 232nd American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA. September 10-14, 2006. (http://oasys2.confex.com/acs/232nm/techprogram/P974821.HTM)
Shixin Deng, Afa Palu, Bin-nan Zhou, Chen Su, Jarakae Jensen, Brett West. Constituents of the fruit of noni and their Selective inhibitory effects of cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme. The 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Pharmacognosy. August 5-9, 2006. Arlington, Virginia. (http://www.phcog.org/AnnualMtg/Posters.html)
Afa K. Palu, Chen Sus, Bing-nan Zhou, Brett West, Shixin Deng, Jarakae Jensen. The inhibitory effects of Morinda citrifolia L. noni on phosphodiesterase enzymes: The possible mechanisms for increasing energy and improving diabetic conditions. CIPAM 2006 Abstracts. IVth International Conference on Aromatic and Medicinal Plants from French Overseas Regions. Tahiti. July 10-13, 2006. p. 12.
Chen Su, Brett J. West, ‘Afa K. Palu, Bing-nan Zhou, Jarakae Jensen, John Fritz, Anne Hirazumi-Kim. Inhibition of tumar metastasis by the ethanol insoluble precipitate from Morinda citrifolia (L) fruit juice and its possible mechanism. CIPAM 2006 Abstracts. IVth International Conference on Aromatic and Medicinal Plants from French Overseas Regions. Tahiti. July 10-13, 2006. p. 28.
Afa Kehaati Palu, Brett Justin West, Jarakae Jensen, Bing-nan Zhou. Morinda citrifolia L. Noni has cholesterol lowering potential. The 47th Annual Meeting of Society for Economic Botany, Folk Botanical Wisdom; Towards Global Markets. June 5-9, 2006. Final Program, page 71 (www.econbot.org/events/2006/SEB2006%20Program.pdf).
Chen Su, Anne Kim, Afa K. Palu, Brett West, Jarakae Jensen. The phytoestrogen effect of Morinda citrifolia (Noni). Proceedings of WorldNutra 2004, 5th International Conference and Exhibition on Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, November 7-10, 2004, San Francisco. Page 471. (www.worldnutra.com/pdetails2004.htm).
Chen X. Su, Mina Y Wang, C. Jarakae Jensen, Anne H. Kim, Brett West, Summer Jensen, Afa Palu, Bing-Nan Zhou, Johnathan W Fritz. An ethanol insoluble precipitate of Morinda citrifolia (Noni) fruit juice (NoniPPT) and its anti-metastatic effects. Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research, Vol. 45 March 2004:29.
Method and formulation for treating candidiasis using Morinda citrifolia. United States Patent 7,014,873. West, Brett Justin; et al. March 21, 2006.
Freeze concentration process. United States Patent 6,855,354. Jensen, Claude Jarakae; West, Brett J.; Ogden, Robert V.; Story, Stephen P.
Methods and compositions for reactivating acetylcholinesterase. United States Patent Application 20050260291. Palu, Afa Kehaati; West, Brett; Zhou, Bing-Nan; Jensen, Jarakae; Story, Stephen.
Morinda citrifolia-based formulation for inhibiting metastasis of carcinogenic cells. United States Patent Application 20050106275. Su, Chen; West, Brett Justin; Palu, Afa Kehaati; Hirazumi-Kim, Anne; Jensen, Claude Jarakae; Story, Stephen P.
Selectively inhibiting estrogen production and providing estrogenic effects in the human body. United States Patent Application 20040224038. Wang, Mian Ying; Su, Chen Xing; Palu, Afa Kehaati; Zhou, Bing-Nan; West, Brett Justin; Westendorf, Johannes Joseph; Jensen, Claude Jarakae; Story, Stephen Paul.
Preventative and treatment effects of Morinda citrifolia as an aromatase inhibitor. United States Patent Application 20040192761. Palu, Afa Kehaati; West, Brett Justin; Jensen, Claude Jarakae; Su, Chen; Zhou, Bing-Nan; Story, Stephen P.
Morinda citrifolia as a 5-Lipoxygenase inhibitor. United States Patent Application 20040191341. Palu, Afa Kehaati; West, Brett; Jensen, Claude Jarakae; Su, Chen; Zhou, Bing-Nan; Story, Stephen P.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist. United States Patent Application 20060280818. Palu, Afa Kehaati; Zhou, Bing-Nan; West, Brett; Jensen, Claude Jarakae.

Noni Motivation
"Studying a tropical fruit was not something I imagined myself doing, even while finishing my formal education. However, this has turned out to be a much better opportunity than any of my other plans, and what an education it has been! It has been the opportunity of a lifetime to be one of the 'discoverers' of the many aspects of the impressive noni plant."

Location/ Hometown
Brett was born and raised in California, attended BYU in Provo, Utah, spent two years as a volunteer in Pennsylvania, and attended graduate school at the University of Arizona. Since then he has lived in Utah and currently resides in Orem with his wife and seven children.