Celsius, the Soft Drink That Claims to Burn Calories

It sounds like a sci-fi gimmick that’s too good to be true—a soft drink that actually burns calories instead of adding them. The drink, called Celsius, is manufactured by a Florida company called Elite FX. The company says that Celsius is composed of natural ingredients, which include green tea, ginger, and B vitamins. Each bottle contains only 5 to 10 calories and no sugar, so it’s makers say that Celsius is a healthy alternative to regular sugar-laden sodas.

Health experts such as Dawn Strout, exercise physiologist, say that they are skeptical of the manufacturer’s claims about Celsius. Strout told WMTW in Portland that she doesn’t believe there is any quick answer for people who need to lose a few pounds, and that answer certainly can’t be found in a soda bottle. "If you increase the amount of muscle you have through resistance training, that's going to be something that's going to be longstanding," Strout says. "Where as far as a drink--we don't know how long that's going to be longstanding in the body."

Janice Haley of Elite FX says that Celsius is the first "clinically-proven, calorie-burning" soda, and that each bottle can burn up to 77 calories over a three to four hour period after you drink it. Haley explains, "The way Celsius works, it raises your metabolism by 12%." What Haley cleverly neglects to focus on is the fact that this revolutionary new diet soda is jam-packed with 200 milligrams of caffeine—the equivalent of two cups of coffee. Elite FX says that children under 12 and women who are pregnant or nursing should not drink Celsius. They also say that no one should drink more than three bottles a day.