Didn't someone ask about Herbalife??

[Guest guest]

Journal of Hepatology

Volume 47, Issue 4, October 2007, Pages 514-520

Association

between consumption of Herbalife®

nutritional supplements and acute hepatotoxicity

Eran Elinav, Galia

Pinsker, Rifaat Safadi, Orit Pappo,

Michal Bromberg, Emilia

Anis, Lital Keinan-Boker, Efrat Broide, Zvi

Ackerman, Dorit Nitzan Kaluski, Boaz Lev and Shouval

Liver Unit, Hadassah-Hebrew

University Medical

Center, Jerusalem,  Israel

Background/Aims - Nutritional

supplements are frequently considered to be harmless but indiscriminate use of

unlabelled ingredients may lead to significant adverse reactions.

Methods - In 2004, identification of four index

cases of acute hepatitis associated with Herbalife®

intake led to a ministry of health investigation in all Israeli hospitals. Twelve patients with acute idiopathic liver injury in

association with consumption of Herbalife®

products were investigated.

Results -  Eleven

of the patients were females, aged 49.5 ± 13.4 y. One

patient had stage I primary biliary cirrhosis and another had hepatitis B.

Acute liver injury was diagnosed after 11.9 ± 11.1 months of

initiation of Herbalife® consumption. Liver biopsies demonstrated active hepatitis, portal

inflammation rich with eosinophils, ductular reaction and parenchymal

inflammation with peri-central accentuation. One patient developed sub-fulminant

and two fulminant episodes of hepatic failure. Hepatitis resolved in eleven patients, while one patient

succumbed to complications following liver transplantation. Three

patients resumed consumption of Herbalife®

products following normalization of liver enzymes, resulting in a second bout

of hepatitis.

Conclusions - An association between intake of Herbalife® products and acute hepatitis was

identified in Israel. We call for prospective evaluation of Herbalife®

products for possible hepatotoxicity. Until then, caution should be exercised by consumers,

especially among individuals suffering from underlying liver disease.

With love, Barb in Texas - Together in the Fight, Whatever it Takes!

Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99 - Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @ Baylor in Dallas

[Guest guest]

Thanks!

Chaim Boermeester, Israel

From:

[mailto: ] On

Behalf Of Barb Henshaw

Sent: Friday, September 21, 2007

17:58

To:

Subject: Didn't

someone ask about Herbalife??

Journal of Hepatology

Volume 47, Issue 4,

October 2007, Pages 514-520

Association

between consumption of Herbalife®

nutritional supplements and acute hepatotoxicity

Eran

Elinav, Galia Pinsker, Rifaat Safadi, Orit Pappo, Michal Bromberg, Emilia Anis, Lital Keinan-Boker, Efrat Broide, Zvi Ackerman, Dorit Nitzan Kaluski, Boaz Lev and Shouval

Liver Unit, Hadassah-Hebrew

University Medical Center,

Jerusalem, Israel

Background/Aims - Nutritional supplements are

frequently considered to be harmless but indiscriminate use of unlabelled

ingredients may lead to significant adverse reactions.

Methods - In 2004, identification of four index

cases of acute hepatitis associated with Herbalife®

intake led to a ministry of health investigation in all Israeli hospitals. Twelve patients with acute idiopathic liver injury in

association with consumption of Herbalife®

products were investigated.

Results - Eleven of the patients were

females, aged 49.5 ± 13.4 y. One patient had

stage I primary biliary cirrhosis and another had hepatitis B. Acute liver

injury was diagnosed after 11.9 ± 11.1 months of initiation of Herbalife® consumption. Liver

biopsies demonstrated active hepatitis, portal inflammation rich with eosinophils, ductular reaction

and parenchymal inflammation with peri-central

accentuation. One patient developed sub-fulminant and two fulminant

episodes of hepatic failure. Hepatitis resolved in

eleven patients, while one patient succumbed to complications following liver

transplantation. Three patients resumed consumption of

Herbalife® products following

normalization of liver enzymes, resulting in a second bout of hepatitis.

Conclusions - An association between intake of Herbalife® products and acute hepatitis was

identified in Israel. We call for prospective evaluation of Herbalife®

products for possible hepatotoxicity. Until then, caution should be exercised by consumers,

especially among individuals suffering from underlying liver disease.

With love, Barb in Texas - Together

in the Fight, Whatever it Takes!

Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99

- Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @ Baylor in Dallas