Dietitians skeptical of beverage's calorie-burning claim

A green-tea based beverage that claims to burn calories won't be a magic bullet for dieters, nutrition expertssay.

Coca-Cola and Nestle say the drink Enviga is a combination of extracts from green tea and caffeine that also contains calcium.

It goes on sale nationwide in the U.S. in January. There are no plans to market it in Canada, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola said Friday.

The companies claim three 355 ml servingscan help drinkers to burn 60 to 100 calories.

The claim is based on research on how an antioxidant in green tea speeds up metabolism and energy use, especially when combined with caffeine.

But the claim depends partly on research that hasn't been publicly released or formally reviewed by other scientists, and skeptics aren't convinced of the health benefits.

"A lot of the products are not going to show a great benefit," said Julie Schwartz, a registered dietitian with Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. "They're not the magic bullet people are looking for."

Other health experts said the drink could cause agitation in some people, and may pose a risk to people with heart conditions.

Coca-Cola says the product can be part of a balanced lifestyle.

Each can costs about $1.50 andpeople would have to drink more than five cans of Enviga to burn the number of calories in two Oreo cookies.

The drinkwill be available in three flavours in the U.S.— green tea, berry and peach— at supermarkets, convenience and drugs stores, and club stores.

Enviga is not authorized for sale in Canada. All natural health products must apply for a licence from Health Canada before they can be legally sold in the country.