Morning Buzz: An exercise pill?
What if there was a pill that would allow you to get some of the benefits of exercising… without exercising? The Associated Press reports scientists have created such a drug… but right now they only know that it works in mice. In a study, sedentary mice that took the drug AICAR for a four weeks burned more calories and had less fat than mice who didn’t take the drug. The treated mice also performed better on treadmills (who knew there were mouse-sized treadmills?).The question is – will these results mean anything for humans? Researchers say someday a drug like this may be able to help treat obesity, diabetes and certain medical conditions that can prevent people from being able to exercise.
Would you be interested in taking a pill that replaces exercise?
Posted by
on 08/05 at 03:17 AM
After looking a bit deeper into the results of the tests on this exercise pill..I’m afraid I would not be taking it..
AICAR…increased the mice’s endurance…these mice could run twice as far on a treadmill as ordinary mice before collapsing…
Another drug involved in this is GW1516…this drug supercharged the mice to a 75 percent increase in endurance but had to be combined with exercise to have any effect…
AICAR will run you roughly $120 a gram…At that price…giving a person the drug in the same concentration the mice got would cost thousands of dollars a day…
I wont get into the side effects..as they are still being tested..I will however mention that they include mental disorders…
..which doesnt surprise me at all..you’d have to be at least pastially out of your mind to think you are going to lay on the couch and take a pill that will replace exercise..