Sorry guys, the jig is up on that caffeinated underwear.
The Federal Trade Commission just warned two makers of shapewear, Wacoal and Norm Thompson, to stop marketing slimming garments with caffeine in the material. Claims that the caffeine will cut inches from your waist and smooth out cellulite are not true.
Wearing the shapewear was supposed to decrease thigh and waist measurements “without any effort,” according to a release from the FTC.
The companies settled with the FTC at the end of September, and the product descriptions no longer make the claims when you check them out on online retail sites. Wacoal’s iPant, which came with caffeine, retinol, vitamin E and more, retailed for $60 and claimed to “mobilize fats,” according to NPR.
The FTC asked the companies to pay $1.5 million in consumer refunds as punishment for making these false claims, but not all the customers appear to be as angry as the federal government about this.
“I actually ‘feel’ my legs being energized as I walk,” wrote one Amazon commenter.
Another commenter saw right through it.
“I wore it to bed for 8 hours (approximately) a night for 30 days. No other real changes to my lifestyle. It looks like my cellulite actually got worse.”
Caffeine actually has been shown to help with duration of workouts — whether running long-distance or lifting weights, studies have found evidence that having some caffeine before working out can help you keep going.
For distance runners and bicyclers, caffeine ups the number of fatty acids circulating in the blood, according to a New York Times article — which allows your body to burn that fat before turning to the much more limited stores of carbohydrates. There’s also evidence it helps delay exhaustion in weight lifting and improves accuracy in sports.
So if you’re concerned about your weight, don’t wear caffeine — drink a little of it and hit the gym instead.
