Vibration plate machines aid weight loss

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, May 13 (UPI) -- If used properly, vibration plate exercise machines may help people lose weight and reduce belly fat, researchers in Belgium said.

Dirk Vissers, a physiotherapist at the Artesis University College and the University of Antwerp in Belgium, said overweight or obese people who regularly used the equipment in combination with a calorie restricted diet were more successful at long-term weight loss and shedding the fat around their abdomen than those who combined dieting with a more conventional fitness routine.

"Our study, the first to investigate the effects of vibration in obese people, indicates it's a promising approach. It looks like these machines could be a useful addition to a weight control package," Vissers said in a statement.

Vissers and colleagues studied the effects of the Power Plate in 61 overweight or obese people -- mostly women -- for a year. The intervention lasted six months, after which the scientists advised all the volunteers to do the best they could with a healthy diet and exercise regime on their own for another six months.

The vibration group lost about 18.8 square centimeters of visceral fat during the first six months and still had a loss of about 18.8 square centimeters at 12 months.

The findings were presented at the European Congress on Obesity.