Herbalife is ranked No. 29 in Best Diets Overall. 30 diets were evaluated with input from a panel of health experts.
Herbalife Nutrition
Expert Reviews
Herbalife Nutrition Rankings & Reviews
Herbalife Nutrition is ranked:
- #29in Best Diets Overall
- #20in Best Plant-Based Diets (tie)
- #28in Best Fast Weight-Loss Diets
- #22in Best Diets for Bone and Joint Health (tie)
- #24in Best Family-Friendly Diets (tie)
- #28in Best Weight-Loss Diets (tie)
- #23in Best Heart-Healthy Diets (tie)
- #26in Best Diabetes Diets (tie)
- #16in Best Diet Programs (tie)
- #26in Best Diets for Healthy Eating (tie)
- #24in Easiest Diets to Follow (tie)
U.S. News Expert Reviews:
"While meal replacement shakes and supplements can be convenient for those who dislike cooking, relying heavily on these products may not foster long-term, sustainable dietary habits or address the root causes of unbalanced eating patterns."
"One of the biggest weaknesses of the Herbalife Nutrition plan is that its distributors are not health care professionals with formal education in nutrition. It can be dangerous to get advice from people who are not experts in the field."
"The thinking from this diet is outdated and steeped in the culture of dieting with significant caloric restrictions. Food is removed and liquid meals are inserted into the pattern of eating."
"The claims behind the supplements used in the Herbalife plan are not backed by science. The reality of weight loss that occurs while using the Herbalife program is simply that the participant's calories are drastically reduced by using the meal replacement shakes."
Overall
#29inBest Diets Overall
Score: -57.2%
Experts were overwhelmingly concerned about the Herbalife Nutrition plan. Several were concerned because the independent distributors who financially benefit from sales of the products are not nutrition experts. Other experts mentioned past reports of liver toxicity, Federal Trade Commission violations and several class-action lawsuits as causes for concern related to Herbalife nutrition.
“Diets that require a bunch of shakes and protein supplements are red flags from a health standpoint,” one health expert notes.
Panelists additionally categorized it as a “waste of money” and even said “I have nothing positive to say about this diet.”
Plant-Based
#20inBest Plant-Based Diets(tie)
Score: 0 out of 100
Herbalife Nutrition received no expert recommendations in the plant-based diet category.
Fast Weight Loss
#28inBest Fast Weight-Loss Diets
Score: 2 out of 100
Near the end of the list for fast weight loss diets, this nutrition program isn’t backed by scientific evidence proving fast or slow weight loss. One expert says that it could be used for “temporary weight loss or convenient calorie control,” but also notes that “it has a few randomized trials demonstrating its effectiveness.”
Bone and Joint Health
#22inBest Diets for Bone and Joint Health(tie)
Score: 0 out of 100
Herbalife Nutrition was not recommended by any of the experts for bone and joint health. Several experts classified the plan as “unsafe,” particularly for growing children.
Family Friendly
#24inBest Family-Friendly Diets(tie)
Score: 0 out of 100
With one expert calling Herbalife Nutrition “unsuitable for families,” it’s not surprising that the plan tied for last place in the family friendly category.
Overall Weight Loss
#28inBest Weight-Loss Diets(tie)
Score: 0 out of 100
While Herbalife nutrition is marketed towards people looking to lose weight, it did not score well in the overall weight loss category. Experts were not confident in its ability to help people lose weight, with one saying that “the program does not have an evidence-based history of successful weight loss.”
“The diet promotes the meal replacement concept, which can help in short term weight loss, but it can be difficult to maintain weight loss since individuals do not learn methods of meal preparation or behavior change to support healthy weight changes,” explained one expert.
Heart Health
#23inBest Heart-Healthy Diets(tie)
Score: 0 out of 100
No experts commented specifically on Herbalife nutrition’s effects on heart health, but many noted concerns about the processed shakes and lack of known heart-healthy foods.
Managing or Preventing Diabetes
#26inBest Diabetes Diets(tie)
Score: 0 out of 100
This nutrition program tied for last place in the category of diabetes prevention and management.
Diet Programs
#16inBest Diet Programs(tie)
Score: 0 out of 100
None of the experts recommend Herbalife nutrition in the diet programs category.
Healthy Eating
#26inBest Diets for Healthy Eating(tie)
Score: 0 out of 100
Tied for last place, the Herbalife Nutrition program wasn’t recommended by any of the experts for overall healthy eating.
“The program relies heavily on unregulated supplements for things like metabolism, appetite, blood sugar control and muscle building. Many of these things could be better approached through whole food,” said one expert.
Ease of Following the Diet
#24inEasiest Diets to Follow(tie)
Score: 1 out of 100
Experts note the cost of the program and its severe restrictions as major limitations to following the plan. While some note its “convenience,” experts worry that it isn’t sustainable in the long run.
Why Trust U.S. News
With the help of our Best Diets panel of nationally-recognized experts in nutrition, obesity, food psychology, disease management, we developed a survey in partnership with The Harris Poll. The survey asked the panel to carefully compare diets for their nutritional completeness, health risks and benefits, long-term sustainability and evidence-based effectiveness. You can see our full methodology here.