The primary ingredient in fat burners is herb ephedra, also known as ma huang, or it’s manufactured version ephedrine. It has been used in Chinese herbal medicine quite safely and effectively for thousands of years. It is often combined with synthetic or herbal versions of caffeine (e.g. guarana, yerba mate or kola nut) and aspirin (e.g. white willow bark).

But does it burn fat?

The answer to that question is yes. Ephedra does effectively help body to preferentially burn fat for energy. But, according to medical studies, there can be side effects, some of which are quite serious.

Ephedra works to burn fat through several means.

-Its chemical makeup increases breakdown of fatty tissue for fuel. -Its stimulatory properties help to increase resting metabolism. This process is known as thermogenesis, which is essentially excess heat production. You body burns more calories simply by producing more body heat. -When ephedra is combined with caffeine and aspirin, it may have appetite suppressant effects. -The nervous system stimulation you get can help you maintain your energy levels, which can aid you in your exercise program.

Electric ab stimulators were (and still are) used in medical rehab situations. They are designed to keep muscles from atrophying (wasting away) in situations where a limb must be immobilized. For example, if you broke your leg, doctor could place an electrode on muscle and use electricity to make it contract. This would provide a minimum level of stimulation, thus keeping muscle active.

As far as building muscle, such as ads on TV claim, this is not backed up by research. The level of electrical stimulation necessary to build up abdominal muscles to what you see on TV would be extremely high, and thus very painful.

Many companies that sell these belts also claim that belts help burn fat. In reality, small muscle contractions produced by these belts burn about as many calories as effort required to take belt out of box and put batteries in.