It was released today, by the ACCC (Consumer Watchdog) that the Power Balance bracelet that is endorsed by many high-performance athletes to improve attributes actually has no scientific basis and provides no advantage to aspiring sports players. It is highly likely that the athletes who used these wristbands knew this but signed some sort of lucrative contract to parade around with them on. Just goes to show that a bit of free-thinking never goes amiss.

Power Balance bracelets exposed as a sham
The Age, December 23rd 2010

"A bracelet worn by high profile sports stars that claims to improve athletic performance has been exposed as a sham by the consumer watchdog.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has ordered Power Balance Australia to refund all customers who feel they were misled by the supposed benefits of Power Balance bracelets.

The wristbands were touted as providing better balance, strength and flexibility by working with the wearer's "natural energy field".

English cricketers Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss, AFL bad boy Brendan Fevola, St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt and NRL star Benji Marshall have all been known to wear the bracelets.

But ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said in a statement: “Power Balance has admitted that there is no credible scientific basis for the claims and therefore no reasonable grounds for making representations about the benefits of the product.

“Its conduct may have contravened the misleading and deceptive conduction section of the Trade Practices Act 1974," Mr Samuel said...."

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