Is Nestle Developing Food's Holy Grail?
By Sam Lewis
Scientists at one of the world’s-largest food makers say they are working to discover the means by which an enzyme responsible for controlling metabolism can be stimulated. Could this be the first step toward developing a way to burn fat with minimal exercise?
A team of eight scientists at Nestle’s Institute of Health Sciences in Lausanne, Switzerland, are currently searching for substances that can stimulate an enzyme that regulates metabolism. While the project is in its infancy and calorie-cutting candy bars are still just a pipe dream, Nestle’s dedication to these types of projects show how the company is trying to provide consumers with products that do more than just fill their bellies. Further, food that is perceived to bring health benefits seems to be exactly what consumers want. According to Euromonitor International, these types of foods are predicted to grow faster than typical packaged foods through 2019.
Nestle’s ultimate goal in this project is to create nutritional food products that will imitate or boost the benefits of exercise for consumers who are unable to — the elderly, the obese, and diabetics, to name a few. The company is doing this by finding natural substances that trigger the enzyme called AMPK. This enzyme controls the metabolic controller of the body’s use of sugars and fats. “The enzyme can help people who can’t tolerate or continue rigorous exercise,” says Kei Sakamoto, a scientist at Nestle working on the project. “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.” Sakamoto also notes that the project is in its very early phases and testing on animals will not likely occur for several years.
The development of products such as this means that the line between food and pharmaceuticals will begin to become further blurred. On top of that, food companies that pursue products with added nutritional benefits will most likely be the successful ones. For Nestle, this means finding new focuses that are pharmaceutically based, not food based, and experiments with AMPK seems high on Nestle’s list of priorities. While many pharma companies have experimented with AMPK, according to Sakamoto, Nestle has no plans to partner with a drug-making company in this endeavor.