Fat Reducing Cream, Aminophylline: An Ingredient That Really Works

Most people are very skeptical that applying any cream to the skin can cause local fat reduction. Therefore, it is really surprising that creams containing aminophylline (pronounced a minute of a lin) seem to work.

A study in the scientific journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (9:300-303, 2007) evaluated women with a BMI greater than 27, who followed a low-calorie diet and participated in a walking program. Half of the study subjects rubbed cream containing 0.5% aminophylline twice a day on their waists. After 12 weeks, those who used the cream lost 4.3 inches (11 cm) from their waist, while those who did not use the cream lost 2 inches (5 cm). In addition, the decrease in waist measurement improved the waist-hip ratio. Since the shape, apple vs. the pear is important; the improved ratio will have health benefits.

The data clearly shows that an aminophylline-containing cream applied to the skin can mobilize fat and reduce the waistline.

Since there were only 50 subjects in total, this study is limited in scope. So there are a couple of things to consider regarding this study.

First, all study participants followed a calorie-restricted diet and participated in a walking program, thereby losing fat. Local fat reduction in response to aminophylline may only work when fat is already being lost. Since most adults are on a diet, if this is the case, it’s probably not a big deal.

Second, the cream was only applied to the waist. It may be that this effect is only seen around the abdomen and not in other places like the upper arms. From a health point of view, the best place to reduce fat is around the abdomen, so even if other places don’t work as well, losing inches from the waist will be beneficial.

Third, all the women in the study had a high waist-to-hip ratio. Those with a better ratio may have slightly different fat physiology and aminophylline may not be as effective. Those with a better ratio, even though for aesthetic reasons they want to lose abdominal fat, are already in a lower risk category for a variety of diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The three points above are just possibilities. Until more research is done, the situations in which aminophylline is most effective will remain open to speculation. Since the body shape and mass category of the study participants, for whom the cream worked well, is very common, the use of aminophylline-containing creams will be effective in a large number of people.

The ability to mobilize abdominal fat by superficial (topical) application of an aminophylline-containing cream represents a major step forward in both health and cosmetic enhancement of body shape.