Nestle releases “natural” appetite suppressant drink that mimics drugs like Ozempic

Nestle is launching protein shakes in the United States that it says help suppress appetite for people looking to shed pounds, the latest effort by the world’s largest packaged-foods maker to tap into the booming market for weight loss products.

The maker of Kit Kat chocolate and Nesquik shakes says its drink triggers a natural response in the body that’s similar but far less powerful than popular weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound .

The weekly weight loss injections mimic a gut hormone called GLP-1 and suppress people’s appetite, promoting a feeling of fullness.

The shake, called Boost Pre-Meal Hunger Support, should be consumed up to 30 minutes before a meal and is aimed at people taking GLP-1 drugs or other weight-loss medications. Distribution began last month.

“You get an increase in natural GLP-1 that helps control hunger. So this dose has a significant effect on satiety,” Stefan Palzer, chief technology officer at Nestle, told Reuters.

The bars, sold for $10.99 for a four-pack at Amazon.com and some CVS stores, contain 10 grams of whey protein, 45 calories, 1 gram of sugar and are fat-free. They are advertised as promoting a “NATURAL GLP-1 response to a meal”.

Palzer said they can also help people keep their weight off.

Lora Heisler, chair of human nutrition and director of research at the Rowett Institute, said it was unclear whether the shot could make a real long-term difference for people trying to lose weight.

“I believe that this protein injection can help release a little more GLP-1, but you can also have a similar kind of release to a glass of milk,” she said.

Earlier this year, Nestle began selling a new $5 line of protein-rich frozen pizzas and pastas in the United States designed for people taking weight-loss drugs.

Analysts estimate that the obesity drug market could be worth as much as $150 billion a year globally within a decade.

When US retail giant Walmart said last year it saw a slight pullback in food consumption when people took the drug, it triggered a sell-off in shares of companies including Nestle.

Mixture of Peptides

The shot, whose formula Nestle has patented, is not intended to replace weight-loss drugs and is less potent than them, Palzer said.

Nestle says the product is based on a blend of peptides that digest quickly, giving the consumer a boost of amino acids that then controls hunger.

Whey protein microgels help people digest more slowly, which means they interact much longer with the receptors in the gut that release the hormone GLP-1.

In 2021, Nestle said 26 people with type 2 diabetes took part in a randomized study, consuming either a low-dose whey protein microgel or a water placebo, followed by a meal designed to produce a sufficient increase in glucose.

One week after the study, the participants who had taken the whey protein were given a placebo, and those who had taken the placebo were given the whey protein.

The results showed that during the two hours after the meal, glucose levels were reduced by 22% in the whey protein group compared to the placebo group. It also had a positive effect on the GLP-1 hormone.