Fact Check: Can magnetic earrings help in weight loss?

Hyderabad: Social media users are sharing an advertisement that claims that a magnetic earring can potentially aid in massive body transformation.

The viral advertisement shows the massive transformation of a woman as she wears a magnetic earring. The advertisement claims that the earring boosts detoxification in the guts which leads to shedding belly fats in 8 weeks, eliminating bloating and making one slim and fit. The advertisement does not talk about having a healthy diet and exercise in addition to the magnetic earring which makes it even more baseless.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found the claim to be false.

Obesity is simply having too much body fat. Obesity isn't just a cosmetic concern but it is a medical problem that increases the risk of many other diseases and health conditions like heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, liver disease, sleep apnea, and certain types of cancers. Obesity can be a result of psychological and environmental factors, poor diet, genetics, activities, and poor lifestyle. The good news here is you can still do a lot to improve and prevent health problems by controlling a healthy BMI. A healthy BMI range is from 18.5 to 24.9. A BMI of more than 25 is considered overweight and above 30 is obese.

Moreover, there’s no evidence to support using magnetic therapy for weight loss, says Livestrong.com.

A 2019 study on Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism revealed that non-invasive electromagnetic brain stimulation, combined with increased exercise and reduced calorie intake, can help people with overweight lose weight. This may have made people think magnets might enhance their weight-loss journey, but electromagnetic brain stimulation is not the same as wearing magnetic jewelry.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, ‘Any promise of miraculous weight loss is simply untrue. There’s no magic way to lose weight without a sensible diet and regular exercise. No product will let you eat all the food you want and still lose weight. Permanent weight loss requires lifestyle changes, so don’t trust any product that promises once and for all results. Products promising lightning-fast weight loss are always a scam. Worse, they can ruin your health. Nothing you can wear or apply to your skin will cause you to lose weight.'

We further contacted our expert Dr.Fawad Ali General Physician and Dialectician from John Hopkins University, USA. He rubbished the magnetic ring as a market gimmick.

He added, “There is no medical research so far stating that magnets of any kind can make you lose weight. According to a theory proposed in the 1970s by a scholar named Albert Roy, magnetic energy can help ease pain, especially arthritic pain, and in a few people, it can help kill malignant cells. However, losing weight through magnetic energy is a myth and cannot be justified through any research study.”

Dr. Ali said, “If anyone could lose weight through magnetic energy, then bariatric surgeries could never be the choice or option for obesity. Magnetic earrings are not an option to lose weight. There are well-written research papers about intermittent fasting, yoga, and walking which can easily help lose weight.”

“Controlling diet, avoiding heavy food after 8 p.m., and sleeping at least six hours a day is mandatory to be healthy and fit these days.”

Staying fit, Dr. Ali explained, will have the following benefits:

• Improved heart health.

• Decreased risk of being diabetic.

• Better blood circulation with maintained blood pressure.

• Increased sex drive and prevention of erectile dysfunction.

• Minimising risk of cancer (11% of cancer in women is due to excess body fats 5% is usually in men).