Not so good vibrations.

I read this study about the benefits of vibration plates a while ago. I thought it was pretty silly, so I ignored it. But now that it showed up on WebMD, I guess it warrants mentioning.

Basically, researchers from Belgium have concluded that people who exercise using vibration plates burn more fat then those who exercise without them. From WebMD:

In the study, researchers looked at the effects of using vibration plate machines in combination with a calorie-reduced diet in achieving weight loss in 61 obese or overweight adults, mostly women.

The participants were divided into four groups: diet alone, diet plus vibration plate exercise program, diet plus conventional exercise program of cycling, swimming,running, and other activities, and a control group that did nothing.

Each group followed its program for six months and was then asked to continue on its own with diet and exercise for another six months. Besides monitoring participants' weight, deep belly fat was measured by abdominal CT scans during the study period.

“Over the year, only the conventional fitness and vibration groups managed to maintain a 5% weight loss, which is what is considered enough to improve health,” Vissers says.

Overall, the vibration plate group lost the highest percentage of weight with an average loss of 11% of their body weight in the first six months and maintained a 10.5% loss after a year compared to a 7% initial body weight loss in the diet and conventional exercise group, which maintained a 6.9% loss.

So, hmmm. Vibration plates, huh? I guess. They do cost about $1000 a pop, which is hardly peanuts. Also, here's a quote from a 2007 USA Today story about vibration plate maker Power Plate:

Clinton Rubin, a biomedical engineering professor at State University of New York at Stony Brook, said he has asked Power Plate to stop citing his research in its promotional materials. His work has led to a vibration device before the Food and Drug Administration approval for prevention and reversal of bone loss from osteoporosis, but that device uses much gentler vibrations than Power Plate, Rubin said.

He believes the Power Plate's vibration levels could cause low back pain, cartilage damage, blurred vision, hearing loss and even brain damage.

"I think they are cavalier in dismissing the dangers of chronic exposure," he said. "I'm a scientist. I worry that people are going to use this device based on a misrepresentation of science."

Power Plate warns pregnant women and people with retinal detachment, blood clots, bone tumors and other medical conditions not to use the machines.

But, hey, what's a little brain damage when you really need to shed those pounds?