Kellogg’s Fat Roller
Long before he was known for cornflakes, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg had a passion for peculiar health fads—one of the strangest being his Fat Roller machine. This behemoth of wooden rollers spun rapidly in place, and users were encouraged to press different body parts against it, allegedly “breaking up” fat and promoting circulation. No sweat, no effort—just stand there and let the rollers beat the bulge out of you.
While it was popular in Kellogg’s Battle Creek sanitarium, the machine offered little more than an uncomfortable rubdown. Patients lined up to have their thighs, hips, or stomachs rolled over in hopes of looking slimmer. However, modern science has long debunked the idea that external pressure can reduce fat. Kellogg’s roller was less an exercise machine and more a giant mechanical rolling pin. Though it’s often remembered fondly in health history circles, it’s a textbook example of the bizarre intersection of pseudoscience and fitness marketing.
