Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Vibrate to lose weight




I know this probably sounds like an exercise DVD with Jenna Jameson, but I assure you, this real science here. And, no, I'm not an investment partner in the equipment featured above in this youtube link. What am I talking about?

Well, now that the disclaimer is out of the way, here is an article from National Geographic (really). Researchers in New York placed mice on a vibrating platform for 15 minutes a day. The result? These mice developed 28 percent less fat than the mice not receiving this intervention.
Scientists theorize that as the mice developed, the vibrations mimicked muscle activity and induced their stem cells to develop into bone or muscle cells rather than fat cells.

"We're not burning fat or taking fat mice and making them skinny," said lead author Clinton Rubin, a biomedical engineer at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. "We're taking mice who are growing and ... influencing the decision of stem cells [so that they don't] become fat cells."
Uh, yeah. Likely story. I don't believe that. Finally, a way to avoid the gym, eat what I want, and still lose the weight. This sounds too good to be true! Oh yeah, that means it is probably too good to be true. Oh well....

1 comment:

Mimi Lenox said...

Darn the luck.
I wish research would meet me halfway here. First we can't cure cancer with our positive vibes and now this.

Sigh.