COCA-COLA and Nestlé claim to have invented a drink that burns calories.

Enviga, which will be on sale in the US next month, will be available in Britain next year.

The makers claim that a combination of extracts from green tea and caffeine speeds up the drinker’s metabolic rate, which helps the body to burn calories.

However, health experts fear that the drink could cause agitation in some consumers and that it may even pose a risk for people with heart conditions.

In clinical trials, 32 people drinking three 355ml (12fl oz) cans of the carbonated drink were found to burn an average of 106 calories.

Three cans of Enviga is the equivalent of drinking three cups of black coffee, the makers say. Rhoma Applebaum, chief scientist for the Coca-Cola Company, said: “We want to make clear that this is not a magic bullet to lose weight.

“But, this is a positive step that people can take to make a difference to their health with regular physical activity and a balanced, healthy diet.

Andrew Prentice, professor of international nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said that the marketing of the product would send the wrong message: “The implicit claim to the consumer is that [Enviga] will make them lose weight”.

He said that it was giving people the wrong idea, telling them to think that they can continue to be couch potatoes and buy a canned drink that will sort out their problems.

He also raised concerns about the safety of the drink for people with cardiac arrhythmic, and other conditions, who could have a bad reaction to an increased caffeine intake.

The drinks will be available in peach, green tea, berry and citrus flavours.

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