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| Wednesday, March 04, 2009 |
| Burn Baby Burn? |
Wouldn’t everyone love to burn more calories in day? I know I would. Especially if it meant I could eat more! I guess that’s why calorie burning drinks are one of the new trendy weight loss products. With the National Center for Health Statistics reporting that over 66 million Americans are obese, people have slowly started cutting down on high calorie, high sugar drinks. It seems calorie burning drinks have come along to fill the void that is left when someone stops drinking their soda or juice all day. The big question is, “Do they really work?”
Some of the first calorie burning drinks to become popular include Enviga and Celsius. Enviga is a drink produced by Coca-Cola and Nestle. They claim that drinking one can of Enviga will help you burn between 60 and 100 calories. Celsius claims that it burns calories by raising your metabolic rate while increasing energy, alertness and focus. They claim that a single bottle of Celsius can burn 100 calories. The makers of both drinks cite research to back up their claims. On their website, Celsius states that a clinical research study released June 2005 at the International Society of Sports Nutrition Conference proved that Celsius burns calories. The double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical study showed that drinking one 12-ounce bottle of Celsius increased metabolism 12% for a three hour period. They also cite other studies. The Enviga website cites a study they did that revealed drinking 3 servings of Enviga per day could result in 106 extra calories burned.
Both drinks contain similar ingredients that are thought to increase metabolism. They both contain green tea and EGCG as their main calorie burning ingredients. EGCG is known to be a powerful antioxidant. Of course they both contain caffeine as well. The caffeine is responsible for the energy boost that is promised. Celsius has no chemical preservatives, no carbohydrates, no sugar, no aspartame, no high fructose corn syrup, and is very low in sodium. Celsius also contains ginger, calcium, chromium, B vitamins, and vitamin C, which they claim work together to raise metabolism. However, you really need to be careful when interpreting these claims. In fact, Coca-Cola Inc. and Nestle recently reached a settlement with a group of state attorney generals to clarify labeling on Enviga tea. Under the settlement announced this week, Coke and Nestle are required to make sure labeling says Enviga alone cannot produce weight loss. The companies must also pay $650,000 to the states. This agreement will require full disclosure and, ultimately, help to raise consumer awareness of this product’s health effects,” said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in a statement. The District of Columbia and 27 states, including Illinois, were involved in an investigation of Enviga’s claims
Overall, the drinks sound ok, right? As a dietitian, I unfortunately have to say that I don’t think they are the answer to our prayers. I also don’t think they will help anyone achieve significant weight loss. It is naïve to think that by drinking a “calorie burning drink” significant weight loss will be achieved. On the other hand, if you have to choose between one of these drinks and a regular soda or a giant sweetened ice tea, they may be a better choice. The calories are low and if you are not sensitive to caffeine you should be fine drinking the occasional Celsius or Enviga. Both drinks are not recommended for children under 12. The bottom line is that a calorie burning drinks will not make up for a poor diet and lack of exercise. You really need to have a healthy lifestyle to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Feel free to drink an occasional calorie burning drink but don’t count on it to help with significant weight loss.
- Jennifer
Labels: Jennifer, Product Review
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posted by My Sensei @ Wednesday, March 04, 2009   |
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| 1 Comments: |
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Unbelievable whatfruits there are in the diet industry. Take an unknown tea and label it as Weight loss tea - sold!
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Unbelievable whatfruits there are in the diet industry. Take an unknown tea and label it as Weight loss tea - sold!