Evaluation of Herbalife Nutritional Supplements in the Hepatic Function of Rats.
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Date
2013-10
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Abstract
The intake of nutritional supplements among people who aim for weight loss has increased all over the world
given the fact it is easily acquired without the need of a medical prescription.The goal of this study was to
research the presence of toxicity due to the intake of Herbalife protein supplements and shakes in an animal
model. Twenty-one male Wistar rats were divided in three groups: control, shake and protein. The shake and
protein groups received 100 mg/kg/day of the supplement whereas the control group received 0.5 mg/kg/day of
water. Supplementation regimen lasted two months and after this period laboratory exams and histological
analysis were performed in order to evaluate hepatic lesions. The groups showed no differences in values of
GGT, alkaline phosphatase, AST, ALT, cholesterol, HDL or triglycerides. All the toxicity reports related to
Herbalife supplements are over longer periods of time of intake than the period established in this model. There
are no reports on how the response of rats to this kind of supplementation works. The mechanism of
hepatotoxicity in humans suggests an immune-mediated reaction. The presented model could not show the
expected toxicity, it is reasonable to conclude that there is a direct relation between hepatic lesions in humans and
the intake of Herbalife supplements.
Description
Keywords
Herbalife, Acute Hepatitis, Nutritional Supplements, Hepatic toxicity, Nutritional toxicity
Citation
Feder Davi, Bacci Marcelo Rodrigues, Santos Janaina Aparecida Boide, Gaboardi Marília Tavares Campos de Oliveira, Stangenhaus Carolina, Lewi Juliana Klein, Shiroma Marina Akiko Rampazzo Del Valle, Junqueira Paulo Emanuel Barbosa dos Santos, Petri Giuliana, Fonseca Fernando Luiz Affonso. Evaluation of Herbalife Nutritional Supplements in the Hepatic Function of Rats. Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science. 2013 Oct; 3(10): 167-169.