The latest buzz in the food industry is the launch of new "calorie burning" beverages. Yes, you read that correctly: calorie burning. As Americans become increasingly obsessed with weight, this may seem like the magic bullet. A true win-win: consumers lose weight while beverage makers increase revenue (something that's been on their mind since 2005 when sales of carbonated drinks dropped for the first time in years).
But is weight loss really possible? According to Coca-Cola it is. The beverage giant paired up with Nestle to introduce EnvigaTM, "a sparkling green tea with green tea extracts, calcium, and caffeine," this month in the Northeast (national roll out is slated to begin in January 2007). Enviga is, in their own words, "...a brand new [beverage] category that combines great taste and negative calories."
Coca-Cola's claims are based in part on research done at Nestle, which shows that participants who consume three 12-ounce cans of EnvigaTM per day experience an average loss of 60-100 calories. How is that possible?
In theory, the combination of the caffeine and the green tea extracts boosts metabolism, which in turn burns fat. Caffeine does, in fact, raise your metabolic rate, but can also dehydrate and give the jitters. An antioxidant in green tea, a catechin known as EGCG - is suspected to play an important role in altering metabolism; however, exactly how remains unclear.
A calorie-burning beverage may seem like a good thing, but let's take a quick second to do the math. All else equal, one pound of body weight is approximately 3500 calories. If we assume you lose the high range of calories that the research suggests is possible - 100 - then it would take you a little over a month to lose that pound - 35 days, to be exact. In a year, you could theoretically weigh 10 pounds less, which is pretty significant for those of us who need to lose 10 pounds.
But what's even more significant is the loss of money in your wallet. Suggested retail price for Enviga is $1.29 - $1.49 for a single can. Assuming you purchase it for $1.30 and drink the 3 cans you need to burn 100 calories, your new weight loss regime will cost you $3.90 per day. Trying to shed a few pounds will cost you $136.50 every month or $1,638.00 a year!
Rather than shelling out all that money to buy a can (or three) of Enviga every day, you could achieve the same results by choosing to do one of these things instead: wash the car, jog for 10 minutes, use one less tablespoon of butter, or switch from a bagel to 2 slices of bread. The list is endless and, better yet, free!
So the next time you're in the convenience store looking for something to quench your thirst, you might want to think twice about your beverage choice. The jury is still out on this one. And the elusive magic bullet remains just that: elusive.
