You may have been out at your town or city’s exercise hotspot and noticed people wearing a colored bracelet that looks somewhat like a watch. This bracelet is different from the silicone bracelets that serve as an awareness and information tool for various charity campaigns that were popularized by Nike and Lance Armstrong through the yellow Livestrong bracelet. cPRIME™ is a patent-pending product that claims that it may yield benefits in strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance.

How exactly can a bracelet do this?
Our body exchanges information through a series of electrical events. A coordination of this exchange is important for athletic performance. Makers of cPRIME™ state that their product contains technology in the form of a chip that acts as a bioantenna that can alter the way your body interacts with your electromagnetic environment thereby possibly improving performance.

Is there any proof to these proposed benefits?
The proposed benefits in strength, balance, flexibility, and endurance have come from observational data and user feedback. cPRIME™’s website summarizes results from a pilot study that was conducted in the Fall of 2009 in the form of various graphs but the actual data is not disclosed. Additionally, the pilot study has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal. The website also notes that there are currently 3 other pilot studies underway but does not give any further details.

Is this a product for me?
When deciding whether to purchase any kind of product, it is important to evaluate the validity of the product. One of the best ways to do that is to look for scientific research that has gone through the peer-review process. Peer-review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals with the related field. Peer-review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance, and provide credibility. Be leery of products that promise quick improvements in performance; contain a secret component (technology, ingredient, etc.); advertise by testimonials or have or athletes/celebrities as their spokesperson; have poorly controlled or nonexistent research; exaggerate some truth; and are expensive. In one of our past blogs we also highlighted some red flags to watch out for in terms of weight loss products so check that out for additional tips. And always remember the old rule, “If it looks and sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

What do you think of the cPRIME™ bracelet? What has been your experience with performance enhancing products?