Can one really shake away the body fat with the aid of a vibration platform exercise machine? Does it really hold the secret to ultimate weight loss, or just another innovation in a growing market for domestic slimming devices.
The Consumer Council has put to scrutiny the validity of a myriad of marketing claims, and effectiveness of vibration platforms by a team of experts in the fields of physiotherapy, sports science and orthopedics.
Suppliers of vibration platforms, measuring some 75-85cm long, 40-50cm wide and 10-20cm high, are promoting the product as a home-use exercise machine that can bring health benefits including body weight reduction. Some even blatantly claim the vibration motion can help shake away the body fat.
Information was sought from the suppliers to support their claims. A number of research papers by various institutions or their summaries, mostly about muscle strength and balance control and a few about the changes in body fat, body weight and waist circumference, were received subsequently by the Council for review.
In the opinion of the experts, on the basis of the information supplied, there is insufficient solid evidence to support the use of vibration platform alone to reduce body fat and body weight.
Physiotherapists do use similar equipment to perform vibration therapy on patients; it helps improve muscle strength and balance control. But such therapy needs to be prescribed by physiotherapists in accordance with the client type, vibration type, frequency and amplitude of vibration, otherwise without a well-planned therapy protocol and suitable exercise, the effect is minimal.
On frequency, for instance, physiotherapists usually use 25-45 Hz in contrast to the considerably low range of about 3 to 8 Hz according to information provided by some suppliers of home-use vibration platforms.
The advice of the Department of health is that consumers contemplating reducing weight should first consult their family doctors. Further, weight loss should be progressive and should not exceed 0.5 to 1 kg per week.
For obese people, aerobic exercises of medium to high intensity such as walking, jogging, cycling and swimming for 30 minutes every day initially and increasing to one hour are recommended.
According to sports scientists, exercises of low impact that do not strain the joints but concentrate on working out the large major muscles, and performed regularly, can help reduce body weight. A user just stands on the vibration platform and let it shake the body, such form of passive exercise does not help lose weight.
A note of caution on safety:
- It is important to keep the knees slightly bent to avoid transmitting the vibration to the head and causing discomfort.
- Using vibration platforms to exercise the upper limbs of the body may, in the long run, damage the nerve in the upper limbs. And avoid sitting on the vibration platform to prevent potential spinal injury.
- Pregnant women, people implanted with pacemaker, and patients of severe osteoporosis should not use vibration platforms.
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- 2014.06.16