Diet Novelties .com

…„Connecticut’s attorney general announced an investigation this week into what he suspects is the “voodoo nutrition” behind a popular new energy drink’s claims to burn calories.

Richard Blumenthal said he wants some scientific proof for the marketing claims of Enviga, a carbonated green tea beverage produced by Beverage Partners Worldwide, a joint venture between the Coca-Cola Co. and Nestle S.A.

The front of Enviga’s cans contains the slogan “The Calorie Burner” _ while on the can’s reverse side, it states, “three cans per day of Enviga have been shown to increase calorie burning by 60-100 calories in healthy normal weight 18-35 year olds.”

Dr. Rhona Applebaum, Coca-Cola’s chief scientist, has said the 5-calorie drink has a “negative calorie effect” based on its 90 milligrams of green tea extract EGCG and high caffeine levels.

Such claims “may be nothing more than voodoo nutrition,” said Blumenthal, who has sent letters to BPW, Coca-Cola and Nestle demanding detailed scientific evidence.

BPW spokesman Ray Crockett told the New York Daily News the company “stands behind the science that supports our claim that Enviga invigorates your metabolism to gently burn calories.”

Crockett refused to say if BPW will comply with Blumenthal’s demands. “We have been clear that it’s not a weight-loss product,” he added.

Last week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) sued Enviga’s makers in U.S. District Court, charging that Enviga’s “science” is based primarily on one 72-hour, 31-person study _ a “short-term test of thin people who were given a strictly controlled diet,” said CSPI.

But Crockett maintained, “There is a great deal of science out there _ not just one study, but a number of studies _ that support the claim.”

CSPI is also considering action against Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, makers of Snapple.

A Super Bowl ad for Snapple’s green tea said its 55 milligrams of EGCG “boosts metabolism.”

“It’s certainly attracted our attention,” said CSPI attorney Steve Gardner.

Enviga hit New York City store shelves in early November and is rolling out nationwide now. A 12-ounce can, available in three flavors, retails for about $1.50 _ which at three cans daily, would cost over $1,600 annually. …”