Exercise In A Bottle Under Development By Nestle Food Scientists

Written By: Brett Smith

Published Date: November 25, 2014 Last Edited: May 4, 2018

editor

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online

Future food and nutritional products could emulate the effects of exercise on the body’s metabolism

Image Credit: Nestle

Running 5k on a treadmill or an hour-long spin class can be a real pain in the you-know-what, but a team of Nestlé scientists may have found a work-around for all that effort – call it exercise in a bottle.

According to a new study in the Journal of Chemistry and Biology, the Nestlé scientists are currently working on a compound called C13 that is designed to target AMPK, the “master switch” of the human body’s metabolism.

“AMPK is a key protein in every single cell in your body and is naturally activated by exercise. It monitors your energy status, like a fuel gauge in a car, and tells you to fill up when your energy is low,” said Kei Sakamoto, the Head of Diabetes and Circadian Rhythms at the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences in Switzerland.

By turning on AMPK, C13 would effectively amplify the fitness benefits from a brisk walk into the equivalent benefits from a more extreme workout. Nestlé isn’t the first company to identify AMPK as a target for weight loss, and the successful development of C13 could lead to its use in a wide range of products, from energy bars to weight-loss smoothies.

“The enzyme can help people who can’t tolerate or continue rigorous exercise,” Sakamoto told Bloomberg News reporter Corinne Gretler. “Instead of 20 minutes of jogging or 40 minutes of cycling, it may help boost metabolism with moderate exercise like brisk walking. They’d get similar effects with less strain.”

The Nestlé scientist added that C13 could also be used to treat metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, in people who may have trouble exercising due to physical limitations.

“Our research has revealed new knowledge about this master switch,” Sakamoto said in a statement. “In some conditions, such as diabetes, the body doesn’t respond properly to insulin and muscle cells reject the message about their need to take up glucose.”

“However, even under such medical conditions, AMPK can find an alternative way and take up glucose in muscle,” he added.

By pursuing a compound that acts on the body’s natural systems, Nestlé could be wading into pharmacological waters as a number of drug companies are also pursuing AMPK as a target for treatment. Nestlé said it would not be partnering with any drug companies in its work on C13, however.

“Ideally, we’ll be able to develop products that will help promote and augment the effects of exercise,” Sakamoto said, adding that the pursuit of C13 should not be seen as an effort to replace exercise.

“Exercise has so many different effects – a cognitive role and physiological function – we’ll never be able to mimic all those effects in a single product,” Sakamoto said.

Ed Baetge, Head of the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, said the current efforts revolve around applying basic knowledge.

“The next stage is to identify natural substances that can influence this molecular mechanism,” he said. “This could lead to the development of new dietary approaches with targeted effects on the body that, like exercise, could help in addressing metabolic problems and maintaining a healthy energy balance.”

Comments