SBU Study: For the Obese, Vibrations May Help Control Weight

A study published by two Stony Brook University professors shows low-intensity vibrations had positive health effects on obese mice with the possibility of a similar result for obese people, the University announced this week.

Ete Chan and Clinton Rubin, professors in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, found that exposing obese mice to such vibrations helped improve their immune systems by restoring B and T cells.

"This study demonstrates that mechanical signals can help restore an immune system compromised by obesity," Rubin said in a statement. "While it is well known that obesity can cripple many physiologic systems, this work suggests that mechanical signals—in the absence of drugs—can help combat this disease and its sequelae."

Chan and Rubin conducted the study by first feeding a high-fat diet to a group of adult mice for seven months to make them obese; they then exposed some of those mice to low-intensity vibrations – barely perceptible to the human touch – for 15 minutes per day.

Their results showed that both the obese animals' immune and skeletal systems showed improvement after exposure to the vibrations.

Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky, dean of Stony Brook's School of Medicine, lauded the professors for their work. "With our realization that the epidemic of obesity will greatly affect the health of tens of millions of Americans, novel approaches to maintaining health of overweight patients come as very welcome news," he said in a statement.

For more about this study, click here.