Dangers Of Enviga

Losing weight and staying healthy is such a challenge, it's no wonder people are searching for a magical elixir that will melt the pounds away and also taste good. For a brief moment, dieters thought they had found that elixir in Enviga. But, like most things that sound too good to be true...it was.

What Is Enviga?

• Enviga is a sparkling green tea drink put out by Coca-Cola and Nestle in November of 2006. Their claims that it is a "negative calorie" drink that stimulates weight loss have generated controversy, including a lawsuit filed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and an investigation by State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who called the two companies' claims "voodoo nutrition."

  A lawsuit was eventually brought by the attorney generals of 26 states and the District of Columbia. According to a February 2007 article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Coca-Cola and Nestle settled the lawsuit by agreeing to pay the states $650,000 and to put disclaimers on all ads stating that Enviga does not cause weight loss without proper diet and exercise.

How Is Enviga Supposed to Help Me Lose Weight?

• The companies involved claim that Enviga is not just a zero calorie drink, but that it is a "negative calorie" beverage, meaning that it takes more calories for the body to process the ingredients than there are calories in the drink itself.

  The official Enviga website claims that drinking three cans of Enviga a day will burn 60 to 100 additional calories in healthy, young individuals. The clinical study the companies used involved 31 people between the ages of 18 and 34, and only studied them over a period of three days. While the study confirmed that the people did burn slightly more calories, none of them actually lost any weight.

What is the Magic Ingredient in Enviga?

• Enviga contains 90 mgs. of epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG. This is a powerful anti-oxidant, but there are no published studies proving that it has any effect on weight loss.

  The main energy-boosting ingredient in Enviga is caffeine. Each can contains 100 mgs., in comparison to between about 30 mg. and 50 mg. in most other soft drinks. Even Red Bull only contains 80 mgs. of caffeine, Jolt Cola contains even less.

Is Enviga Bad For Me?

• According to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, caffeine addiction starts at around 100 mgs. a day, and at 500 mgs. a day, you run the risk of caffeine intoxication. Its caffeine study states that: "Common features of caffeine intoxication include nervousness (anxiety), restlessness, excitement, insomnia, rambling flow of thought and speech, gastrointestinal upset, tremors, tachycardia, diuresis, muscle twitching, periods of inexhaustibility and psychomotor agitation. In addition, there have been reports of patients with caffeine intoxication having fever, irritability, tremors, sensory disturbances, tachypnea, and headaches."

  Drinking two cups of coffee plus the recommended three cans of Enviga a day would put you at 500 mgs. of caffeine every day. Each person reacts differently, though, so as long as you monitor your total caffeine intake and be alert for any troubling symptoms, drinking small amounts of Enviga--one can a day or less--should not cause you any harm.

Where Can I Get Enviga?

• Enviga is available wherever Coca-Cola and Nestle products are sold.