New research presented at the 17th European Congress on Obesity (ECO) suggests that exercise done on Power Plate® vibration plate exercise machines in conjunction with a healthy diet help people lose weight and trim harmful belly fat.

The study, conducted at the University of Antwerp, Belgium, found that overweight or obese people who regularly undertook Power Plate® exercise were more successful at long-term weight loss and shedding visceral or belly fat (which is associated with a higher susceptibility to conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and strokes) than those who combined dieting with a more conventional fitness routine and those who simply dieted.

The study was conducted over a six month period, after which subjects returned to their daily lives and reported back for retesting at 12 months. In terms of weight loss:

* The “Power Plate®” group lost 11 percent of their body weight and maintained a 10.5 percent loss
* The diet and conventional fitness group lost 7 percent and maintained a 6.9 percent loss
* The diet only group lost 6 percent, and maintained less than 5 percent loss

Even more promising was the reduction of visceral fat:

* The “Power Plate®” group lost 47.8 sq. cm. (18.8 in.), and maintained a loss of 47.7 sq. cm (18.7 in.)
* The diet and conventional fitness group lost only 17.6 sq. cm. (6.93 in.), and maintained only a 1.6 sq. cm (.63 in) loss
* The diet only group lost 24.3 sq. cm. (9.57 in.) and maintained only 7.5 sq. cm. (2.95 in.) loss

“We are extremely encouraged by the results of this study, especially in terms of the reduction of visceral fat,” said Guss Van Der Meer, Founder of Power Plate®. “Obesity is a major concern both in the United States and worldwide and we are excited that Power Plate® exercise may provide a low-impact way for people to lose weight and belly fat.”