A study published in the latest edition of Obesity Facts, The European Journal of Obesity, which compares different methods of weight loss may offer a fresh way to help address the obesity crisis that is draining health reserves.

Sedentary lifestyles and increasing consumption of convenience foods are being blamed for the dramatic rise in obesity levels in England. The NHS Information Centre reports that in 2007, one in four adults was classified as obese. If left unchecked this could rise to nine in 10 adults by 2050.

The results of this independent study, led by Dr Dirk Vissers in Belgium, show that Power Plate® exercise, combined with a calorie-controlled diet, has the potential both to help overweight people lose weight and to maintain this weight loss.*

It concluded that combining whole body vibration (WBV) training with caloric restriction can help to achieve a sustained long-term weight loss of 5-10%. The preliminary data show that WBV training may have the potential to reduce visceral adipose tissue (VAT) more than aerobic exercise in obese adults, possibly making it a meaningful addition to future weight loss programs.

The study showed that those who exercised on Power Plate® machines had a much greater decrease in visceral fat tissue (tissue which sits between the organs in the abdomen). High levels of visceral fat are a major health concern, as there is a strong correlation with the incidence of cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Even those who are not visibly overweight can still have high levels of visceral fat.

This particular study involved 79 overweight people (61 of whom completed the study), who were randomly divided into four groups. The first group received a low-calorie diet only, the second dieted and did traditional fitness training, including cardio and weights exercises, the third group dieted and followed a progressive Power Plate® machine training program, while the fourth was the control group.

Each group followed its own specific intervention for six months and was then tracked for another six months, with no intervention. The subjects’ measurements were taken at three, six and 12 months through the study.

After the first six months, the group who dieted and followed a Power Plate® fitness regime showed both the largest percentage decrease in body weight and in visceral adipose tissue. Those in the diet and traditional fitness groups showed a slightly smaller decrease in both measurements, while the control group registered no significant change.

More significantly, in measurements taken at the end of the year-long study, after all groups had returned to their usual lifestyle, the group who exercised on the Power Plate® machines were found to have maintained the level of reduction in visceral adipose tissue. However the diet and fitness groups had returned to the baseline level for visceral adipose tissue.

The Power Plate® machine is a certified Level IIa Medical Device, meaning health professionals can prescribe Acceleration Training™ exercise as part of a wider treatment regime to aid a range of medical conditions, including weight reduction programmes.
As overweight and obese people are at much higher risk of developing serious diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and breast, endometrial and colon cancer, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), this puts a major strain on both the government’s scarce health resources and the wider economy.

Figures from the Department of Health released in March 2009 show that issues such as lost productivity through increased absenteeism cost England about £16 billion each year and this could rise to £50 billion by 2050.
As obesity continues to take its toll on society, being cited by the Department of Health as the cause of 9,000 premature deaths each year and reducing life expectancy by an average of nine years, these findings show that training on a Power Plate® machine may offer a meaningful addition to future weight loss programs.

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* Vissers, D., Verrijken, A., Mertesn, I., Van Gils, C., Van de Sompel, A., Truijen, S., Van Gaal, L. Effect of Long-Term Whole Body Vibration Training on Visceral Adipose Tissue: A Preliminary Report. Obes Facts 2010, 3 (DOI: 10.1159/

Power Plate® machines are available to buy from Power Plate International and major department stores including Harrods and John Lewis. For more information please visit www.powerplate.com or call +44 20 7586 7200.

For further press information please contact Entice Communications on +44 20 8959 3656 or email emi.o@enticecommunications.com

Coming hard on the heels of the IPL is the 2010 T20 World Cup as all the big names head to the Caribbean to play in the third staging of the tournament with the betting for the International event looking as open and as exciting as ever. T20 fever is continuing to grow with every passing year and interest has never been greater following a brilliant IPL season out in India recently. Rarely in the past have an England team looked so strong heading into an International tournament but Paul Collingwood’s men head to the West Indies with genuine chances of doing well over the next couple of weeks. The format of Twenty20 Cricket of course means that any team can have a good tournament and go all the way but with the batting line-up in particular looking exciting for England it could be an interesting tournament. Online Betting is going to be very active in the next forthnight with all the bookies offering good Free Bets for the tournament including Bet365 who offer £200 as an introductory bonus for new customers.

The T20 World Cup Odds are telling us that England are one of the outsiders when it comes to the Test playing nations but that means there is some good value on offer for cricket punters. There are some new stars in the England team with the explosive pairing of Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter set to open the batting. They will be backed up by the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan and Paul Collingwood which on paper looks an extremely strong team that is capable of blowing away any team on a good day. They will need to find their feet quickly though with a tough match against the host the West Indies in their opening T20 World Cup fixture to contend with. The usual teams head the T20 World Cup Betting with Australia and South Africa fighting it out for overall favouritism for the tournament. The Aussies are looking strong with David Warner their star man at the top of the innings and he showed what he could do with some big hitting in the IPL, if he can fire then Australia should be able to justify favouritism out in the Caribbean. South Africa head to most tournaments well backed and they once again look very strong ahead of this one. They have a strong experienced batting line-up which is backed up by the bowlers which include Dale Steyn who is considered the best fast bowler in the world at the moment. The worry for their punters will be that they tend to crack under the pressure of being well fancied and that is a tag they will need to shake off if they are to realise their potential in this World Cup.

The defending champions are Pakistan after they won the tournament in England last year and they are a fascinating team once again this time, they have been through some turmoil in recent months with various players getting banned but they love to play T20 Cricket so cannot be ruled out. In Shahid Afridi they have a Captain and a player who is capable of winning any match on his own but it would be a surprise if they managed to defend their title as the latest betting suggests. Their biggest rivals are of course India and they look to have a strong looking squad in this form of the game, they are hugely experienced in this format with all their players taking part in the IPL which could prove crucial. They are missing Virender Sehwag but Virat Kohli had a great time with the Chennai Super Kings and could well be one of the stars of the tournament for the Indians. Twenty20 Cricket is unpredictable by its very nature but we do like the chances of England to do well during this tournament if their batting line-up fires as expected. It will no doubt be a Festival of big hitting as Tweenty20 always is and this year’s tournament looks extremely competitive from a playing and a betting point of view.