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Kate Middleton has made headlines in the past year, both for her engagement to Prince William and her incredible fashion sense. But the latest headlines to mention her name have not been nearly as flattering. Middleton was labeled a “dummy” by the UK charity Sense About Science (SAS) for wearing a Power Balance bracelet.
The silicone bracelet, invented by Californian brothers Josh and Troy Rodarmel in 2007, supposedly eliminates “negativity” from the body and boosts energy level. Scientists, however, have slammed the claims as “bunkum”, saying that the bracelet doesn’t work at all.
Britain’s princess-to-be is not the only one sporting the bracelet, however. It has become the latest must-have accessory for the world’s biggest stars, especially after soccer star David Beckham was spotted wearing one last August.
Beckham has not yet commented if it was the bracelet that helped him get back to peak fitness and finally back on the field in September.
But basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal has attributed his success to the bracelet. The Power Balance website quotes O’Neal as saying: “That night, while playing for the Phoenix Suns, there were about three of my teammates with the product on and we won that game by 57 points! I kept feeling something when I wore the bracelet.”
Unfortunately for O’Neal, his claims have been proven to be more celebrity nonsense, as Power Balance was forced to admit misleading advertising in Australia last December.
The company has agreed to refund customers’ money and remove the words “performance technology” from the bracelet, according to the BBC News.
However, the Japanese equivalent Phiten (法藤) still claims that their titanium necklace can help promote life and relieve stress.
But Professor John Green at the University of Washington doesn’t buy it. He told a Seattle newspaper: “I know of absolutely no scientific evidence to implicate titanium to improving performance.”
SAS has released a report naming and shaming celebrities who have been guilty of promoting health fads with no basis in science. Let’s take a look at some of 2010’s main culprits:
(1) Lemon Detox Diet
British model Naomi Campbell revealed the secret of her stunning figure was a drink made from lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup. Campbell claimed she survived on the drink alone for up to 18 days.
Expert: Detox is a marketing myth: our bodies detox naturally without any help from pricey drinks or diets.
(2)Charcoal Diet
British pop star Sarah Harding told Now magazine in April that she sprinkled charcoal over her food. “It doesn’t taste of anything and apparently absorbs all the bad, damaging stuff in the body,” said Harding.
Expert: It is unnecessary to eat charcoal because the body is already quite capable of removing any bad stuff.
(3)Blood Type Diet
British singer Cheryl Cole suggested that people eat foods based entirely on their blood types. For example, those with type O blood should have a high meat intake and consume no dairy. “It has made such a difference to how I feel and my energy levels,” Cole said.
Expert: Your blood group cannot affect digestion or the way food is broken down.
參考譯文：
去年凱特•米德爾頓成為各大媒體關注的焦點，一方面因為與威廉王子的訂婚，另一方面因為她獨特的時尚品味。但是，最近有關她的新聞頭條卻遠非溜須拍馬。只因戴了一個能量手環，米德爾頓就被英國“科學認知”慈善機構貼上了“虛偽”的標簽。
硅膠能量手環是由美國加州的兩兄弟約什和特洛伊•羅達梅爾于2007年發明的，據稱能消除人體的“垃圾”并增加能量。然而，科學家們對這個說法進行了猛烈抨擊，稱其純屬信口胡言，表示手環根本不起任何作用。
英國未來的王妃并不是唯一佩戴能量手環的人。能量手環已經成為世界巨星最新的必備飾物，尤其是在去年八月人們發現大衛•貝克漢姆也佩戴能量手環之后。
貝克漢姆并沒有發表言論證實，到底是不是能量手環幫助他重回巔峰狀態，并最終在九月回到賽場。
然而籃球巨星沙奎爾•奧尼爾卻把自己的成功歸功于能量手環的力量。能量手環網站援引奧尼爾的話稱：“那天晚上，我效力于菲尼克斯太陽隊，有三個隊友佩戴了能量手環，最終我們以57分贏得比賽！佩戴手環的時候我總是能感覺到某種無形的力量。”
可不幸的是，事實證明，奧尼爾的評論更接近于名人說瞎話，因為去年12月能量手環公司在澳大利亞被迫承認廣告具有誤導性。
據BBC報道，公司同意向消費者全額退款，并去掉手環上的“科技成就表現”的字樣。
然而，業內的日本公司法藤仍然宣稱其鈦項鏈有助于提升生活品質，緩解生活壓力。
但是華盛頓大學的約翰•格林教授并沒有購買鈦項鏈。在接受西雅圖一家報社采訪時，他說：“我非常清楚沒有科學證據證實鈦元素能改善人的表現。”
“科學認知”發布的一項報告列舉并批評了一些因推銷沒有任何科學依據、號稱能促進健康的時尚產品而自責的名人。讓我們來看看2010主要的偽科學都有哪些：
（1）檸檬排毒餐
英國模特內奧米•坎貝爾透露，她的魔鬼身材源于她常服一種由檸檬汁、辣椒末、楓糖漿調制而成的飲品。坎貝爾稱曾長達18天只喝這種飲料。
專家提醒：排毒餐是一種營銷幌子。人體有天然排毒功能，無需借助任何價格不菲的飲品或者食物。
（2）木炭排毒法
英國歌星薩拉•哈丁四月接受《現代》雜志采訪時說，她會在食物里撒一些木炭。哈丁表示：“吃起來沒有什么怪味，而且很明顯，炭能吸收體內所有有害物質。”
專家提醒：沒有必要吃木炭，因為人體自身已經具備了很強的排毒能力。
（3）血型飲食
英國歌手謝麗爾•科爾建議，人們應該完全根據自己的血型進食。比如說，O型血的人應該多攝入肉類食品而不要食用奶制品。科爾說：“我的感覺和身體的能量因此都有了很大的變化。”
專家提醒：一個人的血型不會對食物的消化和分解產生影響。
