Herbalife targets heart health

Herbalife is to market nitric oxide in supplement form to boost cardiovascular health. The product, made with an amino acid complex, antioxidants and folic acid, is said to promote the body's own production of nitric oxide, thought to be responsible for healthy blood circulation.

The patent-pending formula was developed by Nobel Prize winner Dr Louis Ignarro, who received the award for his research on nitric oxide and its impact on cardiovascular health.

Produced naturally in the body's endothelial cells, which line the inside of the arteries, nitric oxide is produced in greater quantities in young, healthy and athletic individuals compared with older, sedentary and unhealthy individuals, according to Herbalife​, which claims there are numerous studies to show the impact of NO in the body.

"Nitric oxide is a very important messenger, or signaling agent in the body, in terms of providing cellular protection,"​ said Dr Ignarro, currently a professor of pharmacology at University of California (UCLA). "Researching nitric oxide for the past 30 years and making the discovery that it is important for cardiovascular health is not the same as making this knowledge available to the public at large. I agree with Herbalife's philosophy of the importance of cellular nutrition and that corresponds with my desire to translate this science into a product that everyone can benefit from."​

Niteworks contains an amino acid complex for nitric oxide production, including L-arginine, which is transported into endothelial cells to produce nitric oxide, and L-citrulline, transported by a different mechanism and then recycled into L-arginine, creating more of the chemical. This different mechanism is important because when the L-arginine transporter sees too much L-arginine, it stops absorbing, according to the Los Angeles-based firm.

The supplement also contains antioxidant vitamins E and C which protect NO against free radical destruction and which have been demonstrated to work with L-arginine to produce enhanced levels of NO, and alpha lipoic acid which helps recycle these vitamins, says Herbalife. Folic acid and the more bioavailable cacium folinate are included to reduce homocysteine. Niteworks also contains lemon balm to encourage relaxation.

The lemon-flavored powder, mixed with water or juice before bedtime, also carries FDA's new antioxidant health claim that 'consumption of antioxidant vitamins may reduce the risk of certain kinds of cancer.'

Cardiovascular disease is a major public health problem in the US, impacted by the rising rates of obesity, now affecting two thirds of the adult population. Michael O. Johnson, chief executive officer at Herbalife, said the new supplement is the first of a series of cardiovascular health products planned for development with Dr Ignarro.

With revenues of $1.8 billion in 2002, Herbalife​ markets its products through a network of around 1 million independent distributors throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas.