An intriguing study published this week in the journal Endocrinology, compared the effectiveness of vibration therapy and exercise in the treatment of obesity and diabetes mellitus.

Preliminary results indicate that vibration is not worse than physical education!.

The obesity epidemic can not be ignored by developed countries. For example, in many US states, the percentage of adults with clinical obesity exceeded 35-36%. Along with obesity, his satellite diseases, such as diabetes mellitus type II.

One of the best ways to prevent obesity is considered physical activity.

But some of us, for various reasons, do not get to do intensive exercises, so any alternative to physical education might interest millions of people.

A group of researchers from the University of Augusta, led by Dr. Megan McGee-Lawrence, offered such an alternative - whole body vibration, whole-body vibration (WBV).

Vibration therapy against physical culture.

Vibration of the whole body is a procedure that presupposes sitting or lying on a vibrating platform, that is, transferring vibration energy to all tissues with alternating contractions and muscle relaxations.

First tested with a therapeutic purpose in the late XIX century, vibration therapy is of interest to many authoritative institutions. In particular, the European Space Agency (ESA) continues to consider vibrations as a promising way to preserve muscle mass during space flights.

In recent years, an extensive list of WBV indications has been added to osteoarthritis and vestibular disorders in neurological patients. So, in 2009, the benefit of vibration therapy for strengthening the ligamentous-muscular apparatus in women suffering from arthrosis of the knee joint.

The new project of Dr. McGee-Lawrence was based on the fact that WBV simulates the effects of physical exercises on the musculoskeletal system, promotes the "burning" of fats and the collection of muscle mass.

Obesity, diabetes and vibration therapy.

For the experiments, scientists took 5-week-old male mice of two genetic types: the first were rodents with a normal genome, and the second one had a hypersensitivity to the hormone leptin.

Let us recall that leptin is responsible for the feeling of saturation and does not allow overeating. Accordingly, insensitive to leptin rodents eat without measure, quickly becoming ill with obesity and diabetes.

Both mouse genotypes were divided into three experimental groups:.

- Vibration therapy - 20 minutes per day.

- Intensive exercises - 45 minutes per day.

- Sedentary life - control group After giving the mice a week to familiarize themselves with the equipment, the researchers began a 12-week experiment. Weekly animals were weighed.

The food was exactly the same.

By the end of the experiment, the rodents prone to obesity and diabetes showed surprising results. The group, which received "vibromassage" for 20 minutes a day, practically did not lag behind the relatives who practiced for 45 minutes. Although they were still heavier than normal mice, the effect of vibrational therapy is obvious!.

Both exercises and vibration therapy had the following effects:.

- Reduced fat mass.

- Increased muscle mass.

- Increased sensitivity to insulin.

- Normalization of carbohydrate metabolism "Our study proves that the vibration of the whole body is an underestimated tool in the fight against obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance. Although WBV has not completely solved the problem of bone mass deficiency in our experiment, the prospects for vibrational therapy are stunning, "says Dr. McGee-Lawrence.

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