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Founded and based in Los Angles, California, Herbalife International is a company that specializes in health supplements and weight loss products.
Herbalife was started by Mr. Mark Hughes in 1980 and has since grown to become a multi-million dollar international health product corporation with distribution services in over 62 countries.
Herbalife offers a variety of products including herbal supplements, weight-loss and diet pills, nutrient, vitamin, and meal supplements, such as Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix, and personal health care products including hair and skin care products, anti-aging remedies and various fragrances.
While Herbalife officially claims to promote safe weight loss methods used in conjunction with a balanced diet and regular exercise, the safety of a few of their products have come under the scrutiny of the Food and Drug Association. Several of their herbal and dietary supplements containing the ingredient known as Ma Huang which contains ephedrine were said to have adverse side effects afflicting the cardiovascular system.
Following the death of a 28 year old woman of cardiac arrest who had been taking one of these products, the company decided to terminate its manufacture of all products containing ephedrine even though the Food and Drug Association did not find a direct correlation between the death of the woman and the drug she had been taking.
The company offers regulated weight loss schemes under their ShapeWorks programs. It also offers informational guidance on how to maintain healthy immune, digestive and cardiovascular systems as well as advice on how to decrease stress and increase energy levels. To aid in weight loss programs, the company offers digestive enhancers including Herbal Aloe Drink, Active Fiber Drink Mix, Cell-U-Loss, Thermo-Bond, and Aminogen as well as appetite suppressants such as Total Control and Snack Defense.
The company continues to manufacture and distribute its products, under the management of CEO Michael O. Johnson, to over 1.4 million independent retailers.
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