Lipo Wrap is a red light therapy device that’s attached to the waist and used for weight loss. It’s sold by a brand called Nushape and the brand claims that this product can “drain toxins from fat cells, burn calories, rev your metabolism and increase ATP production.”
But is red light therapy actually proven effective for weight loss or is this just another wellness company making bold, unproven health claims? Does Nushape’s device use the same red light wavelength as used in medical studies? How do real users respond to the treatment?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review medical studies to give our take on whether Nushape is likely to be effective or whether it’s a waste of money. We’ll share a real user’s review of the product, and highlight some questionable health claims on the Nushape website.
Does Red Light Therapy Cause Weight Loss?
Nuface’s claims are centered on a technology called red light therapy. This technology is legitimate and is well-studied, but it’s typically used for anti-inflammatory effects rather than weight loss.
A clinical trial published in the Lasers in Medical Science journal found that red light therapy caused waist reduction of 1.5 centimeters (cm) after 6 weeks of twice-weekly use. Trial participants lost 2.2 pounds after 6 weeks. However the light wavelength used was 532 nanometers which is significantly different from the 635 nm wavelength used by Nushape.
A 2013 medical review analyzed data from several individual trials on red light therapy and weight loss, and concluded that the technology is promising but that there’s not enough data to support its use as a standalone therapy. Several of the studies reviewed in this paper used the exact same wavelength of red light as used in Nushape.
Based on the available research, we believe that Nushape Lipo Wrap is potentially effective for weight loss; however, we cannot say so conclusively. We don’t recommend this product because we believe that there needs to be more safety studies on red light therapy, but we do consider it to be a safer alternative to invasive weight loss procedures like liposuction.
Nushape Lipo Wrap Real User Review
One of the most popular YouTube reviews of Nushape Lipo Wrap is published by a channel called “Little Kansas Kitty” and has achieved over 20,000 views at the time of writing this article.
The creator shares her experience using the Lipo Wrap including whether or not she lost weight, does a product unboxing and also a product demonstration. The video appears unsponsored:
Is A Waist Wrap Really Necessary?
One of the issues we have with the Nushape device is that the brand fails to explain why the device needs to be applied specifically to the waist. If red light therapy is effective based on the power and wavelength of the light, then it should be effective regardless of placement on the body. A waist wrap also may be uncomfortable to use.
Most red light devices on the market are simple hanging or wall-mounted panels that users stand or sit in front of. This seems to be a much more user-friendly setting, and it minimizes the risk of skin irritation or burns.
We haven’t come across any medical studies suggesting that red light therapy is effective when used as targeted contouring to one specific part of the body. The therapy seems to work by increasing energy metabolism, so it seems illogical to use a device pointed only to the belly and not to the whole body.
Questionable Health Claims on Nushape Website
Nushape’s website claims that “poor blood flow can be responsible” for struggles with obesity. This claim is uncited and we consider it to be unscientific. We have not come across any medical research suggesting that poor blood flow is what causes obesity.
Weight loss is a simple thermodynamic process: calories in versus calories out. Consuming more calories than are expended causes weight gain. Burning more calories than are consumed causes weight loss.
Their website also claims that their product can reduce cellulite, and again this claim is uncited. We have not come across any medical studies suggesting that red light therapy reduces the appearance of cellulite.
We urge Nushape to either cite these claims or remove them from their website, and we suggest that consumers entirely disregard health claims without any proof made by wellness brands.
Our Weight Loss Supplement Recommendations
There are several weight loss supplements with significant clinical backing in terms of both efficacy and safety.
We recommend dietary fiber as a safe and effective weight loss supplement, especially when combined with caloric restriction.
A landmark medical study found that moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline) combined with dietary fiber intake (a minimum of 20 grams per day) caused an average weight loss of 16.03 pounds over 6 months. That’s a potential pace of 32 pounds per year of weight loss in overweight individuals simply by adding fiber to a moderately restricted calorie diet.
The fiber supplement we recommend is SuperGut Fiber Mix. It contains a clean and effective formulation: a blend of three different types of unflavored dietary fiber and zero additive ingredients. It can be mixed into liquids or foods. Interested consumers can buy SuperGut fiber at this link.
We recommend using two fiber mixes per day, which provides 16 grams (g) of total fiber. Diet should provide the remaining fiber necessary to meet the 20 g minimum threshold.
Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil is another dietary supplement which has been shown in clinical trials to cause weight loss.
MCT oil is quickly absorbed by the body and increases metabolic rate, which causes fat loss. A meta-study on MCT oil documented weight loss of 1.12 pounds over 10 weeks. This equates to a potential annualized weight loss of 5.84 pounds with MCT oil supplementation.
We recommend Bulletproof MCT Oil as our top MCT oil product, because it has a clean and effective formulation. The only ingredient is MCT oil derived from coconuts, and the product has no questionable additives. Interested consumers can buy Bulletproof MCT Oil at this link.
The effective dose range of MCT oil for weight loss (based on the medical review) is 1.7 g to 10 g per day. Bulletproof's MCT oil provides 14 g in one tablespoon, so around two-thirds of one tablespoon should be a maximally-effective dosage.
Nushape Lipo Wrap Price
Nushape’s Lipo Wrap is relatively expensive at $499. The brand claims to have 600 clinical-strength diodes (lights) which is a large number, but we haven’t seen any medical evidence that more red lights equals more efficacy, so we consider it illogical to purchase such an expensive device even for consumers set on purchasing a red light device for weight loss.
We found a device called the Wolezek Red Light Therapy Lamp on Amazon that only costs $42.99. It only appears to have 18 diodes, but until medical studies emerge proving an optimal diode number, it seems illogical to pay more for a higher diode count.
Interested consumers can check out the Wolezek Red Light Therapy Lamp at this link.
