Over the years, people have done some pretty crazy things in the name of burning fat. From the fat-rolling machines of the 1930s to the more recent vibration plates and fat-freezing techniques, there’s not a lot of quick fixes that haven’t been tried. But the latest fat-burning trend may be the craziest of them all.
A new product currently raising funds on crowdfunding website, Indiegogo claims it can electrocute stubborn pockets of fat away. The TrimX is a belt attached to gel pads you stick to your belly or thighs during your workouts. The gel pads send a low-level current to those ‘fat zones’—which, according to the creators, “activates lipolysis and reduces adipose tissues.” In simple terms, this means it breaks down the fat in those areas.
The creators are keen to differentiate TrimX from other so-called fat-burning products like ab belts, stressing that their claims are based on clinical science.
Following up on the previous technologies out there, we wanted to create a tool that would enhance workout benefits—more energy, lower adipose (fat) tissue and an increase of the lipolytic activity. We worked tirelessly to introduce to you TrimX, the world’s first fat spot reduction wearable technology, clinically proven to allow you to gain control over your body.
Over the last 12 years, we elaborated, analysed, tested, retested, and proved with four clinical trials that fat spots can be reduced with electric activity. It doesn’t require a high volume of energy to activate your lipolytic activity, As a matter of fact, after 15-25 min (more or less) that’s when you start to experience fat loss when exercising.
-via IndieGogo
While the idea of being electrocuted is enough to put most people off, the creators claim that it’s completely safe and that the wearers won’t feel a thing. As for whether this kind of technology could actually burn fat from specific areas? Well, the jury is still out in the great ‘fat spot reduction’ debate. While most PTs and exercise physiologists remain adamant that you can’t choose where you lose, various studies over the years indicate that electricity can reduce fat.
In one study from 2011 published in the journal, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, electrical stimulation was applied to isolated human fat cells from 10 females in vitro (meaning, in a test tube). The research revealed that electrical stimulation can indeed break down fat cells in vitro.
In another study paid for by TrimX, nine women wore the device for 30 workouts over 10 weeks. Meanwhile, 13 women did the same workouts without the belt. The research showed that both groups lost the same amount of fat. However, the TrimX belt wearers lost more in the areas where the gel pads were attached—466% more, to be exact. From this, they concluded that stimulating fat cells using electricity could lead to targeted fat loss.
It’s important to keep in mind that both of these studies used small sample sizes and haven’t been peer reviewed. So, until the TrimX crowdfunding campaign meets its $50,000 goal (it was just under 70% of the way at last check) and ships to its first backers, we won’t know for sure whether it really works. You can find out more about TrimX here.
