First, let me apologize for the long delay between my last newsletter and this one. I can only plead the pressures of life and business.

For those of you who might not have been there recently, the site has undergone some pretty dramatic changes. First, it's easier to use. Second, it's now a paid subscription site - just US$42/year. What a bargain, eh? Of course, you can try it out for free, so you and your customers can still check things out without having to pay.

Now, on to the topic for this month. My thanks go to a recent correspondent who visited this web site. Her questions stimulated me to both think and do some research. So I thought I'd share the results of that thinking and research with you.

Susan G wrote:

I am interested to know what is in some of the different products you offer. What is the difference in the 2 calcium products you offer and how many mgs of calcium is in each tablet?

Does the FDA supervise or guarantee the milligrams of contents of your products?

Is the diet formula 1 for weight loss and what is in it?

I especially don't want chromium or caffeine in a diet aid.

Do you have a liquid calcium and a liquid glucosamine?

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Excellent and stimulating questions! Let me take my best shot at providing answers, and some research materials to help you reach your own conclusions.

The first answer is for you to go to http://www.herbalife.com/us/Products/Index.asp and click on the Fact Sheets link on the left - from there you can find the detailed information about most of the products.

As to there being two different calcium products, I'm confused by the question. I'm fully aware of Xtra-Cal, which has 334mg of Calcium (see the fact sheet). And then there are several other products which also contain calcium, like Tang Kuei Plus (40mg) and CarboGuard (152mg) and Formula 2 multivitamin (167mg) and even the Formula 1 shake mix.

The idea is that rather than receiving all of a particular nutrient from a single product, certain nutrients are included in a variety of products. Normally women need 1000mg of calcium per day. Perimenopausal women need 1200mg, and post-menopausal women need 1500mg. By combining calcium from a variety of products plus Xtra-Cal, you can ensure that you get whatever level you need. And since the body cannot absorb more than about 500mg - 600mg of calcium at one time, spreading it out over the day ensures that you get what you need.

The FDA does not supervise or guarantee these products. The FDA only does that kind of oversight on drugs/medications, and classifies these products as "food". However, Herbalife is required to meet the requirements of two laws: the labeling laws and the mega-dosage laws. This ensures that the labels accurately reflect the ingredients/contents (labeling) and that no product is released in dosages that could be harmful unless there is a proper warning on the label (mega-dosage).

Formula 1 is not specifically a weight loss product, but rather is used in both nutritional and weight loss programs. If used in a weight loss program, it is used as a meal replacement. It can also be used in a weight gain program, as a meal supplement. Formula 1 is what you might call "complete nutrition in a glass". When combined with other products, specifically Formula 2 and Formula 3, it provides a fully nutritious meal with lower calories and better, more readily absorbed nutrition.

There is no caffeine in most of the Herbalife products. There is some in the Herbal Concentrate (also referred to as "tea") and in the newest weight control product Total Control.

There is some chromium in Formula 1 (refer to the data sheet - 8% of RDA). There is also some chromium in Formula 2 (see data sheet - 28% of RDA). There is none in Formula 3. There is none in Total Control.

If you're interested in a weight loss program, you should work directly with a distributor to ensure that you get the products that you want and need.

There are no liquid glucosamine or calcium products in the Herbalife line. At least none that I'm aware of.

I hope that helps answer your questions. I am not an expert in these areas, just reasonably educated.

Please feel free to write to me again if you have more questions.

Research

Menopause: article from the San Antonio Express-News about Coral May

At 38, Coral May would have never expected her diagnosis to be menopause. But when her lapsing memory made conversing nearly impossible, she knew she had a problem.

"I had a very bad short-term memory," May, now 41, says...

Osteoporosis & Calcium: Understanding the Connection

An Herbacall Feature, written specially by Coral May for our readers!

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, osteoporosis is defined as a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue leading to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility to fractures of the hip, spine and wrist. The condition that precedes osteoporosis is osteopenia or bone mass less than normal but not significant enough to be osteoporosis. Osteopenia increases a person’s risk for developing osteoporosis.

Calcium: article from Creighton Osteoporosis Research Center

An adult woman has about 1.75 - 2 pounds of calcium in her body and an adult man 2.25 - 2.5 pounds. The majority of the calcium (99%) is located in the skeleton with the rest found in cells and the fluid surrounding the cells.

We lose calcium from our body every day. We lose calcium in sweat, hair, tears, mucus, digestive juices,...

Glucosamine: articles at About.com

Chromium: articles at About.com

Caffeine: articles at About.com