Fat burning beads are banned

There has been a victory for the advocates of a rational approach to health and fitness this week, as a company that had been marketing fitness beads has been forced to stop marketing its snake oil in the UK.

The company claimed that wearing fat burning beads caused automatic weight loss. The company was preying on people who were overweight and willing to try anything other than strict diet and exercise to trim the fat down. In one advert the company claimed that Accu-Slim Beads worked “faster than total starvation”.

The beads are placed behind the ears, and this is supposed to magically melt fat. The company behind the fat burning beads is Global DM Licensing, based in Hong Kong. They have promised to stop mailing their product to UK addresses. Whether or not the Office of Fair Trading can prevent them from operating under a different name is not clear.


The company used the principals of Chinese medicine and acupuncture to help market its magic beads. They claimed that the beads manipulated acupuncture points behind the ear, which induced fat burning without diets, exercise or effort, and that customers could lose 30 pounds (15kg) of fat in one month, just by wearing the beads.

Alternative medicine does have some useful tools and remedies, which can help relieve stress and tension as well as treat some minor conditions, but there are no remedies for being overweight, other than changing diet and exercising.

Mike Haley from the Office of Fair Trading reports that “Every year thousands of people fall victim to misleading claims about products that promise weight loss without exercise or dieting”.

When it comes to fitness and weight loss, the best advice and help on the Internet is almost always free. The will to succeed and the knowledge of how to do it, are all that is required. Gimmicks, fads and magic marbles will not get our nation fit again – sweat and tears will though.

Please note: The company is now selling its beads under the name accutrim.


Learn more on OFT: OFT stops misleading claims regarding ‘fat burning beads’ (15 July 2008)

OFT (The Office of Fair Trading) is a government body in the UK which protects consumers and regulates business advertising.

166 Comments on “Fat burning beads are banned”

  1. MotleyHealth says:

    Thanks for sharing your experience. If you aim is to lose a significant amount of weight by next January then I strongly recommend that you follow a fitness and weight loss plan.

    If you have the willpower to starve yourself (drinking milk and water) to lose weight, you should be able to follow a healthy weight loss plan instead. A calorie restrictive diet does not teach you how to eat properly for long term health and weight management.

    A well structured weight loss plan does. The Diet Solution Program may be the most suitable for you, depends on how much exercise you want to do. If you are eager to get up and workout, then the 31 Day Fat Loss Solution is a good option.

  2. lomalindarn says:

    Every fitness/weight loss plan I attempted, I ceased because of some physical pain, not muscle fatigue, as you’d expect, but some excruciating joint, neck or back pain. My Dr. said that it was a circular issue. I needed to drop weight in order to rid my body of the pains that resulted from exertion and pressure, and in order to do that, I first needed to address and take some excess weight off with diet before even considering exercise, otherwise she says that I could end up with long-term damage. She says that I am too young to be arthritic, however with x-rays, she has clinically diagnosed me with Degenerative Disc Disease, and stated that it was hereditary. A bell went off since my slim sister recently had major back surgery.

    Basically, some people view exercise, or a lack thereof, as lack of motivation or laziness, and they fail to consider the physical limitations one may have that inhibits their mobility, or any significant movement to have an impact on weight loss.

    As far as your point that a starvation diet does not teach principled eating, you may be right, though the 2nd and 3rd phases of Accuweight seem to address that part with Transition and Maintenance. I’d be happy to let you know about that once I’m there. I am vegetarian and the mainstay of my diet are the starches. After Accuweight, I honestly don’t know where my diet will go, considering my vegetarian preferences.

    Regarding The Diet Solution. I tried that one, too. There wasn’t any new information that I received from this program, with the exception of a caution on soy products, which I take very seriously. Otherwise, what The Diet Solution failed to address was emotional eating, which Accuweight does with the use of Chi Gong breathing. It is a simple stress reliever for those times you crave an unhealthy food.

    Keep in mind that I have been one of those dieters who moderated my diet and exercise and then even progressed to strenuous levels and despite working my butt off, saw no weight/size improvements. For me to succeed, timely rewards must match my investment, and most who have used Accuweight claim that is exactly what it does.

    Again, I will see how this goes, and look forward to exercising in the future. I miss hiking, volleyball and swimming, but my back says, “no way.”

    One last mention. Accuweight has an email list for discussions and questions about the program and I find that the veteran achievers in that group are almost bitter and harsh on newcomers. Maybe they are just tired of repeating their advice, nonetheless, I opted out of that one. I do, however, find the Accuweight staff supportive and encouraging.

  3. lomalindarn says:

    And another thing. Near starvation is tough, i.e. the stomach pangs and growling, the fatigue and dizziness, etc., but not nearly as tough as the pains of physical exertion and exercise when overweight or obese. A sprained ankle, a twisted knee, a stiff neck, a sore back, and this current pain that I have on my left side just above my breast stretching along the side to my upper arm that has been there for weeks (a pulled muscle?) are much worse for me because of their intensity and the down time that is required to heal. The withdrawal symptoms of a starvation diet are relatively short-term compared to physical injuries as a result of exercise.

  4. This ACTUALLY works! have u tried it? because it works.
    I’m losing 11pounds every month. try it. if it doesn’t work, then at least you’ve tried it and can rightfully say it is a gimmick. if you didn’t try it, you have NO right saying it doesn’t work. I feel so much better about myself and have trimmed down so much is the past months. screw anyone who says this doesn’t work. IT REALLY DOES!

  5. MotleyHealth says:

    Bill, I assume that you are also on the calories restrictive diet that forms part of this weight loss system?

  6. Hello, last comment was in Sept. 2010. Where is everybody? Well I just recieved this in the mail and it did sound far fetched but interesting. So I thought I would check into it first. And thats how I found this site. Lets just say the enevelope was there and I was thinking of throwing it out, then I did throw it and then I put it back on the table lol. I did find all the info very interesting and i think I will buy the beads in the sewing dept and try it the cheaper way.

  7. MotleyHealth says:

    Maybe they took a break in marketing. I get the impression that people come here after getting a flyer through the door.

  8. oh yes probably, well I guess it’s being circulated again lol.

  9. MotleyHealth says:

    Just looked at the traffic stats for the site and there was certainly a quiet patch from November, started picking up again at the end of January. I guess this must correlate with marketing campaigns.

  10. Hello guys. I am totally with Tina. I’m on day 21 of the bead diet and I’m down 26lbs. This programs is not easy. The diet is rough, but as you step on the scale it makes you feel better. The beads are helping just like they said. I’m not hungry or stressed. This isn’t a quick fix and the only way its going to work is if people stick to it 100 percent. Once you cheat, it throws out the chemistry of the diet. accuweight.com, I recommend it 100 percent! To that person that said they didn’t have time, I’m in the military and have a super busy work day as well. Hell, I spend most of my day up in the air, but regardless, I make time for it. Any body can make time if they are really dedicated.

  11. MotleyHealth says:

    Do they really allow members of the armed forces to operate on a 500 calorie a day diet? Sounds very dangerous Jason.

  12. YES,YES,YES,it DOES works!!!!! My 2 sister in laws and our family friend lost 20-25 lbs in 4 weeks. HOW DO I KNOW IT WORKS?? I’m on my second week and I’m down 12 lbs, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! A very strict diet has to be maintained to reach your goal. I have never heard anything about them being magical, not having to diet or workout. The beads are for accu pressure so that when you are having hunger cravings you rotate the beads and it helps slow your metabolism. I’m curious as to what research was done to publish this article? Your ACCU-sations are false and you should not discredit something that can help lots of people. THIS DIET WORKS, GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!!

    BRANDY- California

  13. MotleyHealth says:

    Brandy, how would slowing your metabolism aid weight loss? You also say “A very strict diet has to be maintained” – this is not what the adverts originally said, the original advertising campaigns stated that all you had to do is wear the beads. As for where does the information come from, that reference has been added to the article.

  14. The product is not worth using it. It is even more harder to find a contact at the management level: a hint that it is a scam. The company also sell many other products under the same umbrella. Don’t waste your money and time.

  15. I am a reflexologist and practice acupressure. Its not that the beads don’t work…placement is very important and really until you know exactly where to place them it is important to seek out someone that is a professional to place them for you at first. I have used ear seeds, ionic beads and magnets on clients for a number of years and it has always helped in many situations.

  16. MotleyHealth says:

    Hi Jade. When using the beads do you also encourage the client to adopt any other lifestyle changes? Is there any scientific evidence that you are aware of which has found acupressure and reflexology to provide anything more than a powerful placebo effect?

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