Herbalife launches 'personalized' supplements

The challenge to launch an original product in an already saturated health food market was accepted by Herbalife International, which announced the introduction of ShapeWorks, a personalized approach to weight loss complete with nutritional supplements and foods to compliment this regime.

The program, Herbalife's Shapescan Body Analysis involves an electronic scan to show potential customers their lean body mass, how many calories they burn at rest and target weight.

Based on the results the program recommends an individual's personalized protein needs for building and maintaining lean muscle mass.

Dr. David Heber, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles said: "Protein has a key role in weight loss and management because lack of it in the diet triggers hunger."

"Increasing daily protein intake and exercise builds muscle and lean body mass. The higher the lean body mass, the higher our metabolism and the more calories we burn."

The ShapeWorks program is accompanied by formulated foods which have been designed to provide the nutritional needs of participants of the regime.

The ShapeWorks shake contains a combination of soy and whey proteins, which break down into amino acids at different rates to help control hunger quickly and over several hours. The amount of protein is personalized according to the results of the Shapescan device.

The ShapeWorks program is rounded off with Garden7, a new ShapeWorks supplement designed to provide phytonutrients missing from the typical diet.

Dr. Heber said: "While there is no substitute for getting your vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables, a phytonutrient supplement provides more of what is missing in the brown-beige American diet due to poor consumer dietary choices."

Michael O. Johnson, Herbalife CEO said: "The approach is the first in the industry to be based on a personalized assessment of individual lean body mass rather than an arbitrary and uniform goal of pounds lost."

"It is the result of almost two decades of research on the principles of good nutrition and hunger satiation by some of the most noted scientists in the discipline. The culmination of all of this is an innovative, lasting solution to weight loss.

Meanwhile, The Monarch Beverage Company has launched a sports drink, All Sport Zero that it claims offers all the hydration and benefits without the carbohydrates, sugar or calories.

An addition product, All Sport Plus, claims to be the first supplement-enhanced isotonic. It is designed to help athletes of all levels re-energize their muscles, bones and joints after a hard workout while avoiding the extra calories of traditional sports drinks.

Katie Ryan Strimban, director of marketing for The Monarch Beverage company said: "All Sport Plus and All Sport Zero reflect a strategy to market more health-related products as baby boomers age and the nation continues to battle obesity."

And finally, Whole Living, a natural ingredients provider, have said that their product, Pulse Bars, was the company's top selling product in April, with over 65,000 units purchased, the bar accounted for nearly 56 per cent of all food items sold

Doug Burdick, president of Whole Living, said: "The profit margins on bars are higher than cans due to the cost savings on packaging."