Have you heard of Herbalife before? Herbalife has been popping up in stores disguised as a “nutrition shake” store in local towns selling teas and protein shakes, and advertised online by independent distributors.
Despite the growing business, Herbalife has gotten some bad press throughout the years, too.
Keep reading to see our review of the facts on Herbalife and if it really is bad for you.
What Is Herbalife?
Herbalife is a company that sells a variety of nutrition and wellness-related products.
Their products range from skin and hair care to protein powder, meal replacement shakes and bars, and vitamins and minerals.
They even have specialized products for kids, men, women, and older adults as well as hydration and recovery products.
Other supplements I have reviewed you may be interested in:
Background On Herbalife
Herbalife International has been around since 1980 and was founded by Mark R Hughes.
There were over 1.9 billion (yes, billion) servings of protein shakes served in the year 2021 alone, making it a record year in sales for the company. (Source)
The products are sold largely by Herbalife Nutrition Independent Distributors, and the company advertises that people can make this their own business.
Basically, Herbalife is a multi-level marketing company (MLM) like Arbonne and It Works!, reviewed here previously.
As discussed before, I become less inclined to purchase a product that has this kind of business structure due to the occasionally unfair practices that more often than not benefit those at the top of the company rather than the seller.
The independent distributors purchase the product at a discount or warehouse cost and sell from there at market price.
In this article, we will focus on a few of their controversial products and break down the ingredients.
We will evaluate in detail their best seller, the Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix.
Transparent Ingredients Or Proprietary Blends?
While I was looking to get a better look at some of Herbalife’s products and evaluate the ingredients and cost of products for the next sections of this article, I found something shocking.
You can not even read the ingredients list or the nutrition facts label when you go on their website to view any of their products!
It just shows the front of the bottle, and the description they provide.
For example, their Tang Kuei Plus supplement (we will discuss this supplement again in a little bit), states that it is designed for PMS support in the description and on the bottle.
Plus, we are not able to tell what else is in it either, such as the type of capsule or if there are any other ingredients added to it.
If you click on “Shop Now,” it takes you to a link to find an Herbalife Independent Distributor to purchase the product
To me, this is not transparent of the company whatsoever.
It almost seems like they are trying to avoid buyers from taking a look at the supplement panel.
It is important when buying supplements to know how to read a nutrition facts label and ingredients list, so you are able to evaluate exactly what is in the product.
Supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so keeping yourself informed is a must.
We went over this here in a previous post, to empower buyers to choose a safe, transparent supplement based on whatever you are in the market for.
Herbalife Products And Ingredients
After doing some digging, I was able to find a bit more on some of the products to evaluate the nutrition facts label and ingredients.
Formula 1 Nutrition Shake
The Formula 1 Nutrition Shake comes in a variety of different unique flavors, including orange cream, cafe latte, dulce de leche, and banana caramel.
The Formula 1 Nutritional Shake mix is advertised as a meal replacement shake or a nutrient-dense meal or snack.
It contains 21 vitamins and minerals and also states on the bottle it is a good source of fiber.
When prepared as directed, which is two scoops (25 grams) with 8 fluid ounces of nonfat milk, it contains 170 calories, 1.5g fat, 23g carbohydrates, 4 grams of added sugar, and 17 grams of protein.
It’s important to look at the nutrition facts of a serving of this product without the addition of milk as well to provide information about what is in the actual nutrition shake powder sold by Herbalife.
Some users may want to use the product without milk due to an allergy, intolerance, or preference.
In 2 scoops (25 grams) of the powder, it provides 90 calories, 1 gram of fat, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 4 grams of added sugar, and only 9 grams of protein.
While looking at the macronutrients of the product alone and with the addition of milk, it’s pretty evident that 90-170 calories are not nearly close to what the average adult would consume as a meal.
The caloric content is very, very low for a meal replacement, and the 9 grams of protein in the powder alone is also quite low.
To most people, this would not be a sufficient amount of calories and protein and would not satisfy a meal.
Here are the Herbalife Formula 1 Nutrition Shake nutrition facts:
Formula 1 Nutrition Shake: Ingredients List
I’ve added a photo of the ingredients list, because truthfully, it was a bit too long to write out effectively.
Starting at the top, we notice that soy protein is the number one ingredient.
Most of Herbalife’s products use soy protein as their main protein source.
The next ingredient is fructose, also known as sugar.
We’ve discussed before that there are some drinks on the market disguised as healthy but actually have quite a bit of sugar in them, such as Red Bull and Gatorade.
While this product is not nearly as high in sugar as some other ones we’ve discussed, it’s still worth it to point out as fructose is the second ingredient on the nutrition facts label and regular sugar doesn’t fall too far behind.
Next you’ll notice the addition of fiber, vitamins and stabilizers and preservatives that go by the name of xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan and silicon dioxide.
All of these have been deemed safe by the FDA but some people still choose to avoid them.
Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) provide the 1 gram of fat per serving in the product.
Protease from the company Aminogen, not an Herbalife product, contains enzymes to assist your body in breaking down protein.
You will also notice blueberry, papaya and pomegranate fruit powder.
It looks like we have come across a proprietary blend.
We have no idea how much of this is actually in the product as it is not listed on the nutrition facts list!
The rest of the ingredients on the list are mostly vitamins and minerals.
Looking back at the facts table, you will not meet 100% of the recommended daily intake for any of these, unless you are consuming the product with nonfat milk, and then you will reach 110% of daily vitamin B12 intake, but that's the only one.
Also, this specific flavor contains soy, wheat and milk, not suitable for those with a soy, gluten/wheat allergy, or milk allergy.
Cost
The cost of the product evaluated above, the Formula 1 Nutrition Shake, is $50.90 for a 750 gram container.
Each serving is two scoops, or 25 grams.
The cost of the product comes out to $1.66 per serving, which is not too pricey.
One of their more expensive products is the vanilla protein mix, coming in at $81.20 for a 840 gram bottle which provides 30 servings, 28 grams per serving.
The cost of this product comes out to about $2.70 per serving, about double of the one mentioned above.
Herbalife Side Effects
There have been quite a few reported side effects from Herbalife evaluated in scientific literature and some life-threatening.
One review states there have been at least 50 reported liver injuries or liver damage, also known as hepatitis, associated with Herbalife products. (Source)
Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver.
Some symptoms are yellowing of the skin or eyes, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy.
They also state that a lot of those who were affected were mixing a large number of Herbalife supplements together.
Interestingly, one Herbalife website states there are no side effects related to taking Herbalife products! (Source)
One article dating back to 2007 investigated idiopathic liver injuries in 11 women and 1 male and found active hepatitis. (Source)
Eleven of the twelve active hepatitis cases were resolved, while one woman had to undergo a liver transplant as the damage was unrepairable.
Even after this first bout of liver injury, three subjects continued to take the product, which resulted in a second occurrence of liver injury.
Another article from Switzerland examined 10 cases of toxic hepatitis associated with Herbalife products. (Source)
A microbial contaminant Bacillus subtilis was found in testing Herbalife products after two users presented to the hospital with severe liver injury. (Source)
Bacillus subtilis is commonly found in soil, making it important to wash fruits and vegetables to prevent side effects such as diarrhea.
In contrast, a letter to the editor of the journal was published stating that there is no cause/effect relationship with Herbalife and acute hepatitis.
They also mentioned the ingredients in the products are not unique to Herbalife and that the products undergo testing for heavy metals. (Source)
One case report that was redacted for “legal reasons” looked at a 24-year-old woman who was taking 3 Herbalife products, the Formula 1 Nutrition Shake, personalized protein powder, and the Afresh energy drink. She was otherwise healthy besides taking thyroid medications. (Source)
The young woman, unfortunately, passed away while waiting for a liver transplant due to liver failure.
Apparently, it was stated in the article that she was taking 10g of the Afresh energy drink although the serving size was 1 gram.
Since the article was taken down, we may never know the actual story and the young woman’s story remains untold. (Source)
It appears the Herbalife themselves were the one that had fought to get the paper removed from the publisher. (Source)
The Afresh energy drink does not seem to be sold by Herbalife United States from a search on their website.
However, it can still be purchased from Amazon and other countries.
A lot of the Herbalife supplements are targeted towards weight loss and customers who want to lose weight.
If you are consuming significantly fewer calories in a given day than you are used to for a long period of time, (such as using the Formula 1 Nutrition Shake) you may exhibit effects such as fatigue, or vitamin and mineral deficiencies over the long term.
The best way to have sustainable, healthy weight loss is to consume nutrient-dense foods like lean protein, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, assure you are getting quality sleep, decrease stress, and get in some physical activity daily.
Lawsuits And Stories From Customers
The Herbalife lawsuits relate mostly to how their business is structured as an MLM.
An article from the Federal Trade Commission discusses the charges – that Herbalife was to restructure their business and pay 200 million dollars to “business owners” as they were promised to earn tons of money by selling Herbalife products. (Source)
They sent just under $350,000 to those who lost money running an Herbalife business.
Additionally, a second round of checks was distributed in May 2019 from the FTC adding up to around 45 million dollars. (Source)
There are many negative stories from individuals dating back to before the lawsuit above discussing how they lost thousands of dollars from all over the world. (Source)
One woman was told by the company to “go to all of the training” despite the cost and was nearly $30,000 in debt after four months.
Some pointed out they were even working more than they had used to, and losing close family members and even marriages due to selling Herbalife.
It appears there have not been any Herbalife Lawsuits since the FTC one described in 2017.
They now state on their “gold standard” portion on their website that there is no minimum purchase required to become a distributor and that they are fully transparent with prospective distributors when it comes to earnings and income. (Source)
Consumer affairs reviewers have posted their experiences with the consumption of the products, some stating that they had side effects such as diarrhea, cold shakes, gallstones, and again, liver issues. (Source)
To Wrap It Up: Is Herbalife Bad For You?
After reviewing, it does not seem like Herbalife is the best choice for nutrition and wellness products.
Not all Herbalife products have been shown to be harmful to your health.
It appears the highest risk comes with mixing multiple Herbalife products together.
The website is not very transparent when it comes to showing off the ingredients list and nutrition facts label.
The fact that the Formula 1 Nutrition Shake provides less than 100% of the daily recommended vitamins and minerals, contains proprietary blends, and provides only 90 calories is another red flag.
Consuming 90 calories as a drink in place of a meal sounds unsatisfying and unsustainable long term.
While they may have slightly improved business practices since the lawsuit, the damage that Herbalife caused distributors and consumers are irreparable in my opinion.
I would not want to support a company that has had these poor business practices.
Even with the information we learned above, their profits continue to skyrocket and the company continues to grow and sell products via independent distributors.
This article should reiterate that speaking to your doctor, dietitian or health care provider is extremely important before starting any kind of supplement.
Especially if you are on any pharmaceutical medications, some supplements may decrease the effectiveness of certain medications.
For example, Herbalife sells a Mega Garlic Plus supplement.
High amounts of garlic when taken in supplement form interact with a blood clotting drug called Warfarin.
We hope this article helped to clarify Herbalife Nutrition, its products, and business practices.
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