Does treadmill walking with near-infrared light applied to the abdominal area reduce local adiposity and body weight?
Sungwoon Kim, Yujin Kim, Gyusung Lee and 1 others
PMID 29184283WHAT IT FOUND
Twenty-eight women who walked on a treadmill wearing an active near-infrared belt had reductions in abdominal circumference, abdominal fat ratio, BMI, and fat mass after 12 weeks.
Blood lipids did not differ between groups.
Key findings
01The group that walked while wearing the active near-infrared belt showed significant reductions from pre- to post-exercise in abdominal circumference, abdominal fat ratio, BMI, fat mass, and body fat percentage.
02Total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides showed no group difference or significant interaction before and after the treadmill walking.
03In the active belt group, mean abdominal circumference changed from 104.48 cm to 99.95 cm, BMI from 30.94 kg/m2 to 29.61 kg/m2, and fat mass from 32.98 kg to 29.21 kg.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was 28 women aged 50 to 65 with BMI over 29 kg/m2, so it does not speak to men, younger adults, or people with lower BMI. They were assigned to groups using a purposive sampling method, not random allocation. The active group also performed treadmill walking, so the contribution of the near-infrared belt alone cannot be separated from the walking program. The authors state that a possible placebo effect in the exercise group was not controlled. Blood lipid outcomes showed no group difference or significant interaction. The paper does not name a primary outcome.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a near-infrared belt alone reduces abdominal fat or BMI. Participants in the active belt group also completed treadmill walking at 60% of maximum heart rate three times a week for 12 weeks, and assignment was by purposive sampling.