The "magic weapon" for weight loss, the sweat-inducing suit, will make you pay the "IQ tax"?

As the temperature gradually rises, many beauty lovers have started their new year's weight loss plan. Among the many weight loss "magic tools" this year, a sportswear called "sweating suit" has been frequently on the screen. This kind of clothing uses "fast burning calories" as a selling point, claiming to be able to "accelerate calorie consumption" and "enhance metabolism", which can be said to touch the "hearts" of those who have difficulty losing weight. Can a piece of clothing achieve such an effect? ​​The reporter launched an investigation.

"Improve metabolism and burn fat efficiently", "black technology" or pseudoscience?

Ms. Wang lives in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province. She gained weight over the winter and is getting further and further away from her ideal weight. Not long ago, she was attracted by an advertisement for sweat-inducing clothing in an elevator. After consulting the merchant, she learned that this "black technology for weight loss" has functions such as "improving metabolism" and "accelerating fat burning", which is very suitable for office workers like her who have limited exercise time and are eager to lose weight quickly, so she decisively placed an order.

Ms. Wang started exercising with great expectations. However, every time she put on the sweat suit and exercised, she would feel stuffy, dizzy, and dry mouth. It was difficult for her to persist for a long time, and her exercise time was even shorter than before. Ms. Wang told reporters that this weight loss "artifact" has now been thrown into the closet to "collect dust."

The reporter consulted a popular sweat suit online store with monthly sales of more than 6,000 pieces. The merchant explained that "the sweat suit uses heat-control silver technology fabric, which can form heat circulation and heat reflection on the body surface. Heat reflection can consume multiple calories to improve the body's metabolism. The heat circulation effectively opens the body's pores and activates the sweat glands, achieving the phenomenon of sweating and burning fat." As for the weight loss effect, "customers generally lose about 2-20 pounds per month." A sales anchor also claimed that "anyone with a physique that is prone to obesity and has no time to exercise can wear a sweat suit to improve exercise efficiency and effect."

However, the reporter searched online and found that many sports enthusiasts have posted videos of their experiences with sweat suits. The vast majority of them said that the weight loss effect of wearing sweat suits is not obvious, and wearing them for a long time may lead to excessive dehydration, damage the body, and even put life in danger.

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Experts: Weight loss ≠ weight loss and sweating ≠ fat burning

The reporter learned that the principle of the sweat-inducing suit is not complicated: the human body is partially wrapped with waterproof material to form a certain enclosed space with the outside world, so that the heat generated by exercise cannot be dissipated quickly. In this case, the human body needs to further increase sweating in order to maintain a constant body temperature, thereby achieving "profuse sweating".

Sweat suits are not new. Initially, they were designed for boxers and weightlifters who needed to lose weight. They lost weight by dehydrating quickly to reach the competition weight requirement. After the weigh-in session, athletes must replenish water and electrolytes in time to prevent excessive dehydration from causing a decline in competitive status.

Cheng Jingmin, director of the Health Management and Policy Research Center of Shanxi Medical University, emphasized that this way of losing weight is not dieting, "Weight loss is mainly about losing water, while losing weight requires losing fat." In addition, the amount of sweating is not necessarily related to the fat burning effect, because 84% of the products of fat decomposition are carbon dioxide, which is exhaled by the lungs. "In other words, the calories consumed by running for one hour are fixed, and it has nothing to do with whether you sweat profusely."

Previously, a famous diving athlete also bluntly stated on the social platform that wearing a sweat-inducing suit "is like wrapping yourself in a layer of tinfoil, which is airtight" and "you will indeed lose weight after sweating a lot, but the weight will come back after drinking a few sips of water."

Guo Yu, a physical trainer of the sports team of Guangzhou Sports Vocational and Technical College, said that the extra energy consumption obtained by wearing a sweat suit is insignificant and not worth the negative effects such as stuffiness, dehydration and skin deterioration. Moreover, these discomforts may cause people to unconsciously reduce the intensity and duration of exercise, which in turn affects the effect of exercise and reduces calorie consumption.

As for the claim by merchants that sweat-inducing clothes can "improve resting metabolism after exercise", Guo Yu said that resting metabolism generally refers to the amount of calories consumed by the body to maintain basic life activities and physical and mental energy in a quiet state. It is related to comprehensive factors such as exercise, rest, and diet. It will naturally increase over a long period of time after exercise. "Merchants claim that wearing sweat-inducing clothes for exercise can improve resting metabolism, which is suspected of collecting 'IQ tax'."

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There is no shortcut to losing weight

The interviewees said that for consumers with underdeveloped sweat glands who want to experience the feeling of sweating and rapid dehydration, they can try purchasing sweat suits, but if they feel uncomfortable during exercise, they should stop in time and replenish water and electrolytes after exercise to prevent excessive dehydration. For those who hope to lose weight by using sweat suits, other methods are recommended.

Professor Chen Anping, dean of the School of Physical Education at Shanxi University, said that losing weight is a long-term project that requires scientific exercise, a balanced diet, and adequate sleep. If you pursue temporary weight loss by taking shortcuts, you may end up losing more than you gain.

He suggested that if you want to lose weight through exercise, you can use aerobic exercise combined with strength training. If you have limited time, you can try interval training of a certain intensity within your body's tolerance. At the same time, it is recommended that you wear comfortable and breathable clothes when exercising, such as clothes with sweat-wicking and quick-drying functions.

For people who have a large base weight and want to improve their resting metabolism, Guo Yu recommends a multi-pronged approach. In addition to regular exercise and refusing to diet, they should also pay attention to the intake of protein, water, etc., and ensure adequate sleep.

Reporter: Jie Yuan

Editor: Hao Jing

Source: Xinhua Viewpoint