The New Exercise Pill: Is it Really Possible?
Gail Davis
August 01, 2008
How would you like to swallow a pill that would not only make you resistant to weight gain but would also provide you with twice as much endurance as your peers? That´s a "no-brainer", right? Where do we sign up?
These amazing results aren´t something out of a science fiction magazine. They´re actually happening in laboratories today. Oh, to be a mouse!
Dr. Ronald Evans, a molecular physiologist with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and professor at Salk Institute´s Gene Expression Laboratory, has recently published the results of experiments that he´s conducting using two drugs, GW1516 and AICAR.
The first drug, GW1516, when used on exercised-trained mice, increased both their distance and running time by over 65%! This particular compound is currently being used in the development of a drug to raise HDL levels, providing humans with higher levels of good cholesterol.
AICAR, however, was tested on sedentary mice. Their running time increased by 23% and their distance by 44%. What makes these results so incredible is that the sedentary mice gained both muscle tone and endurance---without actually performing any activity!
AICAR actually changes the physical composition of the muscles! Muscles that previously were categorized as "sugar-burning fast-twitch fibers" morphed into "fat-burning slow-twitched fibers." What does that mean to those of us without scientific backgrounds? The muscles demonstrated the same change that happens in trained distance runners and cyclists!
While these studies may be especially appealing to the "couch potatoes" of the world, doctors are most excited about the potential benefits to those people who aren´t able to exercise due to joint pain, long hospital stays, and other circumstances that keep them from being active.
This so-called "exercise pill" has a fat-burning ability that has the potential to aid in weight loss, decrease the amount of fatty tissue, lower blood glucose levels, lessen resistance to insulin, lower the risk of diabetes, decrease muscle wasting, and lower the risk of heart disease.
With all the wonderful things that these drugs may do for our overall health, Dr. Evans noted a possible negative aspect as well. The benefits of these drugs may be irresistible to some professional athletes, who are looking for the advantage over their peers. Because of this, detection tests have been developed for use by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
So, how do these results equate to humans and how long before we can purchase them? Those answers, of course, are still up in the air, but the potential is so great that it´s worth waiting for.
In the meantime, we´ll have to work hard for our health benefits and be patient. Learn what it means to eat healthy, and add regular exercise to your daily routine. You´ll achieve impressive results the old-fashioned way!
These amazing results aren´t something out of a science fiction magazine. They´re actually happening in laboratories today. Oh, to be a mouse!
Dr. Ronald Evans, a molecular physiologist with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and professor at Salk Institute´s Gene Expression Laboratory, has recently published the results of experiments that he´s conducting using two drugs, GW1516 and AICAR.
The first drug, GW1516, when used on exercised-trained mice, increased both their distance and running time by over 65%! This particular compound is currently being used in the development of a drug to raise HDL levels, providing humans with higher levels of good cholesterol.
AICAR, however, was tested on sedentary mice. Their running time increased by 23% and their distance by 44%. What makes these results so incredible is that the sedentary mice gained both muscle tone and endurance---without actually performing any activity!
AICAR actually changes the physical composition of the muscles! Muscles that previously were categorized as "sugar-burning fast-twitch fibers" morphed into "fat-burning slow-twitched fibers." What does that mean to those of us without scientific backgrounds? The muscles demonstrated the same change that happens in trained distance runners and cyclists!
While these studies may be especially appealing to the "couch potatoes" of the world, doctors are most excited about the potential benefits to those people who aren´t able to exercise due to joint pain, long hospital stays, and other circumstances that keep them from being active.
This so-called "exercise pill" has a fat-burning ability that has the potential to aid in weight loss, decrease the amount of fatty tissue, lower blood glucose levels, lessen resistance to insulin, lower the risk of diabetes, decrease muscle wasting, and lower the risk of heart disease.
With all the wonderful things that these drugs may do for our overall health, Dr. Evans noted a possible negative aspect as well. The benefits of these drugs may be irresistible to some professional athletes, who are looking for the advantage over their peers. Because of this, detection tests have been developed for use by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
So, how do these results equate to humans and how long before we can purchase them? Those answers, of course, are still up in the air, but the potential is so great that it´s worth waiting for.
In the meantime, we´ll have to work hard for our health benefits and be patient. Learn what it means to eat healthy, and add regular exercise to your daily routine. You´ll achieve impressive results the old-fashioned way!
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