PREVIOUSLY: « Predicting Chemo Success  Keeping Pace with Genetic Variation »


Herbalife Health Nutrition

Posted in Health at 12:12 am by David Bradley -- 5 Comments; add your comment

One has to wonder on which planet the marketing executives at some companies live. Aside from any intrinsic problems in ingesting 100% of one’s daily requirements of vitamin B6 and B12 in a single dose from a drink, the concept of “natural” is brought to the fore by the ad guys at Herbalife. They market what they call a “sugar-free, zero-calorie, effervescent energy drink in a dissolvable tablet form” with the wonderfully retro name of Liftoff.

Apparently, this wonder of modern science comes in two “energizing, natural flavors”, namely “Ignite-Me Orange” and “Lemon-Lime Blast”. Now, I confess that I repeatedly point out that there is no chemical difference between the same compounds from either natural or synthetic sources, but there’s nothing natural sounding about either of these two flavours, and you can bet your last cola that they are as natural as…well…cola.

And, guess what the manufacturer uses one of those benzoate preservatives that everyone with a soda benzene problem is concerned about too. It would be interesting to find out whether those natural flavours and the added Ginkgo biloba and Panax ginseng in this “energizing” product interact with sodium benzoate preservative to produce any novel by-products.

5 Responses to “Herbalife Health Nutrition”

  1. 5
    David Bradley Says:

    Liz-Mary – what a clever spam trick. Mary posts a question and Liz answers it with the spam links. Unfortunately, Liz (who has the exact same IP address as Mary) posted the answer to Mary’s question before I’d approved it. So, how did Liz know that Mary had asked the question? Because they’re one in the same person, that’s how. Why have I approved these two spam comments? I thought what they had to say was almost interesting, but also to show readers that comment conversations on other blogs may not be what they seem. I’ll cover this topic in a little more detail on Significant Figures later this month.

  2. 4
    Liz Says:

    Hi Mary,

    From one mom to another I think I have a solution for you! I want to lose 40 pounds, and I’ve lost 28 so far!!! I am feeling fantastic and have more energy than I did when I was in college. I went through three different Herbalife distributors until I found the person I felt really actually cared about me and helped me to start getting results. The bottom line was that I wanted to find somebody that could offer me good prices, but that could also check in with me to make sure I was doing ok.

    I used to drive two hours to meet with my first distributor in West Haven, Connecticut. I even brought the girls with me a few times because I couldn’t find a babysitter. Today my Herbalife coach does everything over the phone and it is much easier with my busy schedule. You can order Herbalife online on his website, you get the shakes a few days after with FedEx and then you can setup a telephone meeting once a week to make sure you are doing the program right.

    His name is [REMOVED] and his website is [REMOVED] The number is [REMOVED]. He and his girlfriend [REMOVED} actually do most of the coaching together as a team, but she has an Herbalife site as well: [REMOVED] He does most of the motivation on the call and gives you important facts regarding nutrition.

    He can be a bit tough but he really wants you to get results. She is a bit softer- so they make a good combination. Actually I also recommend joining his newsletter first so you can see the articles on nutrition. They also have videos so you can see who they are before actually calling them. Its nice because they actually use the products too. You can see on their websites.

    Hope this helps!

    Liz the same Spammer as Mary

  3. 3
    Mary Says:

    Hello, This is Mary

    I am 36 years old with 2 toddlers. My youngest just started day care last week- which still feels a little strange. I haven’t had this much time to myself in years. First thing I want to do is lose the extra pounds I put on during the last pregnancy. One of the girls next door has suggested I join her walking group two days a week. After my first pregnancy I lost around 35 pounds using the Herbalife products, but when I called the man that sold them to me three years ago he told me this week he doesn’t sell them anymore. He told me to look on the internet. It’s disappointing because he was really nice and he called me regularly to make sure I was using their products correctly. It was nice to have someone checking in with me every week to see how I was and it kept me motivated.

    I searched on the internet for someone that sells Herbalife in New Jersey. I found many websites but I don’t want
    just to buy the products, I want to find someone trustworthy that sells the products so I can also meet them and get started again.

    Could anybody here recommend someone in New Brunswick?
    .

    Thanks, Mary

  4. 2
    sciencebase Says:

    Thanks for the link AnyMouse&2122;

    Yes, sodium benzoate is present in this “natural” drink, along with:

    “Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, Natural Lemon Lime Flavor, Potassium Bicarbonate, Corn Syrup Solids, Microcrystalline Cellulose, L-Taurine, Panax ginseng, Polyethylene Glycol, Ascorbic Acid, Caffeine, Ginkgo biloba Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Acesulfame – K, Guarana Extract, Biotin, Inositol, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Niacinamide, Sucralose, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, and Cyanocobalamin.”

    Actually, I could break that list down and explain how each one is indeed originally of “natural” origin, with a few exceptions.

  5. 1
    AnyMouse Says:

    You mean benzoate preservatives like “Sodium Benzoate”?
    There is nothing named “sugar” in the ingredients; “Corn Syrup Solids” is.

    Liftoff Product Fact Sheet

Leave a Reply