In AICAR, scientists say they've found exercise in a pill

[flashl]

Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Researchers experiment with a chemical compound they say can produce the benefits of aerobic activity without the work.

By Alan Zarembo, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 31, 2008

Scientists have discovered what could be the ultimate workout for couch potatoes: exercise in a pill.

In experiments on mice that did no exercise, the chemical compound, known as AICAR, allowed them to run 44% farther on a treadmill than those that did not receive the drug.

The drug appeared to change the physical composition of muscle, essentially transforming the tissue from sugar-burning fast-twitch fibers to fat-burning slow-twitch ones -- the same change that occurs in distance runners and cyclists through training.

"You're getting the benefits of exercise without having to do any work," said David Mangelsdorf, a pharmacologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who was not connected with the research.

[grannie4peace]

1. interesting

i wonder where you'll grow hair???:think: :freak:

[Warpy]

2. It's a little misleading

because you still have to do the work. However, the metabolism of the muscle fibres makes that work less arduous while it burns fat instead of depleting glycogen stores.

[supernova]

5. This would be a boon for people like me

I have a prolapsed mitral valve and, as a result, my endurance is shorter than a person's w/o it. The significance of this is, I have a really difficult time exercising enough to keep my weight in check.

So getting an endurance boost would be really really appreciated.

[Warpy]

6. Tell me about it

I have all the cardiopulmonary complications lupus can provide. I'd love to see this come out in my lifetime.

[DJ13]

3. So we can sit there doing nothing and sweat and lose our breath?

[klook]

4. Wash it down with a Big Gulp!

I guess this is supposed to be good news, but I can't get excited about it. Even if there were a substitute for a healthy diet and exercise, why would I want to entrust my health to a pill?

Besides, we always find out later that there are unwelcome side effects -- for example, statins can weaken muscles and even cause temporary amnesia.

Maybe if this could be limited to the morbidly obese or elderly people who are unable to exercise, I could see some benefit. But if it's consumed mainly by athletes looking for the latest edge, or lazy-asses who want the benefits of exercise without the work, I don't see the value.