Unilever says new milkshake helps control appetite (Reuters)

GENEVA (Reuters) - A new weight loss drink that tastes likea milkshake significantly reduces appetite and could soon joinUnilever's $400 million Slim-Fast weight-loss brand, thecompany's researchers said on Wednesday.

A study showed that the drink, which works by trapping gasin foods to make people feel full, worked even better than thecompany's Slim-Fast weight-loss drink, they said.

The researchers, who presented their findings at the 2008European Congress on Obesity, said the company has patented thetechnology.

"The technology is now available for the brand to use infuture formats," said David Mela, a Unilever nutritionist whoworked on the study. "The food maintains the bulk, much ofwhich is air that helps you maintain that full feeling."

Obesity is a big problem and big business. About 400million people are classified as obese, putting them at higherrisk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart diseases,according to the World Health Organization.

This has in part spurred companies like Unilever, KraftFoods, General Mills, Sara Lee and others to turn to healthierproducts with a whole range of so-called health and wellnessfoods.

"If you look at western populations, a (large number) ofadults are overweight," said Gert Meijer, an executive atUnilever's research and development division. "In terms of theamount of people who might be interested in this product, itcould be huge."

In the Unilever study, the researchers tested theirmilkshake on 24 volunteers who were given either the new drinkor a serving of regular Slim-Fast at breakfast.

People who had the milkshake reported that they weresignificantly fuller when asked at different intervals over afour-hour time period. The researchers found that a half-sizedserving of the milkshake also suppressed hunger.

"We are clearly talking about hours," said Sergei Melnikov,a physical chemist who helped develop the technology. "It is aneffect that lasts for an hour or two or longer."

The milkshake is designed to trap gas in the food afterconsumption, preventing it from dissolving in the mouth ashappens with foods like whipped cream, and cutting appetite.

To do this the team engineered the fats, proteins andfibers in the food until reaching the right mix to trap the gas-- a technology that might appear in other Unilever foods, theresearchers said.

"I would say this is not limited to liquids," Melnikovsaid. "It could be used in other food forms."

(Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)