"Cellulite and how to beat it"
Cellulite is a term coined to describe deposits of fat found on
the thighs and buttocks of many women. It has a characteristic
orange peel or cottage cheese appearance.
According to some, cellulite is a combination of fat, water, and
"toxic wastes" that your body has failed to eliminate. Others
contend that cellulite is no different from regular fat.
So, who's right?
Researchers from New York's Rockefeller University have
discovered that cellulite is simply fat under the skin that has a
dimpled look. It looks this way because women have a layer of
irregular and discontinuous connective tissue immediately below
the skin.
Publishing their findings in the journal Plastic and
Reconstructive Surgery, the research team - led by Dr Michael
Rosenbaum - used several methods to examine both the affected and
unaffected areas of the thigh.
They found that the layer of connective tissue is more irregular
and discontinuous in women affected with cellulite. But the fat
cells themselves aren't different from other fat cells in the
same area of the body.
In men, the same layer of connective tissue is smooth and
continuous. That's why cellulite is more common in women than
men.
This hasn't stopped an entire industry being built around the
concept that cellulite is a different type of fat requiring a
special diet or unique (and usually expensive) form of treatment.
For example, some claim that caffeine and spicy foods contribute
to the formation of cellulite because the toxins they produce are
trapped in the fatty tissue.
This is not true.
In fact, caffeine and spicy foods can actually contribute to the
loss of stored fat. More information is available here:
http://thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/fatburn.htm
You'll also see many products promoted as a miracle cure for
cellulite. Cellasene is one of the best examples.
Cellasene contains a blend of herbs and other ingredients,
including dried ginkgo biloba extract, seaweed and evening
primrose oil.
Apparently, these blend of plant extracts are "known for their
natural action against cellulite and fatty deposits."
Distributors of the product also claim that the ingredients in
Cellasene increase blood circulation, reduce fluid buildup, and
strengthen collagen. Cellasene is also supposed to increase your
metabolic rate.
This, of course, is complete nonsense.
Yet, despite the fact it doesn't work, Cellasene was a huge
commercial success.
In 1999, Rexall Sundown - the company marketing Cellasene -
launched a national public relations campaign heralding the
introduction of Cellasene as a major news event. The company
hired an agency to distribute a "video news release" describing
the Cellasene clinical studies as "impressive." News stories on
Cellasene appeared throughout the country.
News releases are written purposely in a news format. They save
journalists the time and trouble of researching the subjects on
their own. Entire sections of a news release can be simply "cut
and pasted" with little or no editing.
Sometimes as many as half the stories appearing in your favorite
newspaper are based on news releases. Usually, they're mixed
right in with other stories.
This is just one good reason why it's never wise to accept what
you see in the newspapers or on TV at face value.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced on March 11, 2003
that it won a settlement in a U.S. District Court against Rexall
Sundown.
The eight-week Cellasene regimen cost consumers almost $200, and
Rexall sold more than $40 million of this product. Despite being
forced to pay up to $12 million to consumers throughout the
United States who purchased Cellasene, Rexall Sundown is still
left with a tidy profit.
However, they're not allowed to make any unsubstantiated claim
that Cellasene will improve the appearance of cellulite.
(continued next week)
To view the full article, visit:
http://thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/cellasene.htm
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