Herbalife, which uses a network of distributors to sell its nutrition and weight loss products, has been fighting off claims that its business amounts to a pyramid scheme.

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Part of the problem--and it's getting bigger--may be that many of the advertisements for weight-loss products are false and misleading, the FTC says.

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Citrus aurantium has seen a surge in use in weight-loss products since the banning of ephedra by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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It has been named in lawsuits for its use of ephedra, a stimulant linked to heart attacks and strokes that was previously a component in some of its weight-loss products.

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Kinsella runs the operations and drums up business in the U.S. He travels to conferences and cuts deals, largely with online marketing firms that sell things like weight-loss products and educational videos.

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When you turn on the TV in Sudan, you're bombarded with adverts for weight-loss products, with images of svelte Lebanese and Egyptian women flashing across the screen, and this undoubtedly has an effect, says Bedri.

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"A lot of what these products claim is weight loss, " Hirsh said.

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Provision of meals and use of meal-replacement products promote greater weight loss.

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