It's Raining Nitrogen, by Neil Caudle-- Endeavors, Fall 1999

Despite dramatic claims, thigh creams don't melt away fat.

Where's the Rub? Creams Don't Work
by Cate House

Buyers beware. That's the warning Bonita Marks, assistant professor of exercise and sport science, would give women willing to shell out $30 for a bottle of fat-dissolving lotion.

Marks was the lead researcher in the first well-controlled study of these creams, which contain the active ingredient aminophylline—a bronchorelaxant used to treat asthma that has been found in previous studies to break down fat cells.

To test the creams, Marks had 11 women between the ages of 18 and 35 apply thigh cream to their legs every day for six weeks. On one leg, the women applied the thigh-reducing cream, and on the other, they applied a regular moisturizer. Neither the researchers nor the subjects knew which was which.

As part of the experiment, the women were asked to maintain the same exercise and diet routine as they had before the study began. They were also asked to fill out questionnaires about their perceptions on how the creams seemed to be working.

Actual measurements were taken at the beginning of the study and at the end of the six-week period. Each woman's thighs were measured near the knee, at mid-thigh, and near the hip.

Researchers found no differences. "Even the volunteers said they could see and feel no difference between the two," Marks says, "although they both appeared to work well as moisturizers."

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) also participated in the study. Funding was provided by a foundation grant from FAU and a Petroleum Research Fund grant administered by the American Chemical Society.