Nestle Realizes Every Couch Potato's Dream: Exercise in a Bottle

The brand behind KitKat bars and Nespresso is working on its next big thing: exercise in a bottle.

Realizing every couch potato's dream, scientists at Nestle say they have identified how to stimulate an enzyme that regulates metabolism using a compound called C13, reported Bloomberg.

After realizing the first step in potentially mimicking the fat-burning effects of exercise, the eight scientists at the Nestle Institute of Health Sciences in Lausanne, Switzerland, are now searching through natural ingredients, like fruit and plant extracts, to determine which substance can trigger the body's metabolic function of breaking down sugar and fat.

Kei Sakamoto, the scientist overseeing research on diabetes at Nestle, said: "The enzyme can help people who can't tolerate or continue rigorous exercise. 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 said the product aims to benefit people suffering from obesity, diabetes or those with limited mobility due to old age.

The move signals Nestle's attempt to diversify its products and cater to its customers' health needs.

According to research firm Euromonitor International, consumers are fast steering towards healthy food, like gluten-free pasta and organic juice, and it is predicted that demand for food that is perceived to be healthy will outgrow that of traditional packaged food through 2019.

Jean-Philippe Bertschy, an analyst at Bank Vontobel AG in Zurich, said: "The border between food and pharma will narrow in the coming years. Companies with a diversified, healthy food portfolio will emerge as the winners."