SubscribeThe Exercise Pill
A while back on this site, the great Crabby McSlacker posed the hypothetical question: If you could take an exercise pill, would you still workout? Well, this question may not be hypothetical for very long. A new study published in Cell, has demonstrated a 44% increase in treadmill distance in mice who didn't train.
Don't put those running shoes away just yet, though...
As I am sitting here, I have a monstrous headache from perusing the data - which is replete with many big words, letter/number combinations and Greek symbols. Instead of trying to interpret the minor details of the study, I'll offer my interpretation of it and let others ponder the idea of an exercise pill.
Here's my attempt at a painless, simple explanation of how they can boost endurance in mice without putting little running shoes on them and throwing them in that wheel.
- Training activates AMPK (an enzyme) and PGC1α (a substance that promotes the remodeling of muscle tissue).
- AMPK and PPARδ (a factor that has an effect on the formation of skeletal muscle) form a pathway that enhances endurance
- Mice were injected with AICAR - a precursor of AMPK, to see whether this could accomplish the effects of exercise - without the exercise bit.
- 4 weeks of AICAR treatment alone induced metabolic genes and enhanced running endurance by 44%
The potential to treat those suffering from age and disease-induced wasting is something to be excited about.
On the flip side, the potential for abuse is also something to consider - with athletes looking for a performance boost and the sedentary looking for a quick fix.
Of course, these scenarios are hypothetical until there is evidence that this can translate to humans. Even if it did, I suspect that there are so many pathways impacted by exercise that you could never replace the wholeness of its benefits.
How do you think this would change the landscape of physical activity, if at all?
I find this study disturbing.
ReplyI don't believe in shortcuts, and if you really care about your health you should do more and not less.
The idea that you can take a pill that can get you into shape without getting up from your couch is crazy. You'll find your self dealing with other serious problems.
What would you do then? Will you wait until a second pill comes out to solve your new issues?
I agree with Lauren and would add;
Meddling with nature will only end in tears.
The stuff scares me... like GM foods and others meddling. It's insane in my view.
~Mike.
ReplyUnlike others I'm not afraid of progress in science ,and just to clarify this discovery isn't intended for lazy people to get in shape it's for people who have problems with muscle development.
We can't really debate the abuse of this product before we know if 1. it works and 2. the long term effects, but it's obvious that people will abuse products that aren't intended for them ( This study did appear on a diet blog so that shows that there is definitely interest)that doesn't mean that we should just abandon a product for the sole reason that it could be abused.
ReplyA lot of "progress in science" is about profit, let's get it straight. Now anyone who can fund a study should be allowed of course but I firmly believe that governments and other agencies interested SOLELY in the health of people should fund the studies we actually take notice of.
The purity of science is corrupted by vested interests.
Let's keep science pure (dream on).
~Mike.
ReplyI agree totally with Habit Guide - science is constantly trying to find shortcuts and whilst of course it is great when they find something that can help people in need, it's often a thin veneer of altruism disguising a profit-driven agenda aimed at exploiting and perpetuating our weakness.
This is particularly true in the context of dietary shortcuts - The Professor Diet - Eat as much Junk as you like
Methuselah
ReplyPay Now Live Later
~Mike.
ReplySo you don't like it because you believe it's profit driven? (really clear this up for me I don't understand your rebuttal at all) If that's the case then I suppose you don't like anything produced on this planet.
ReplyLike you I'm not against "progress" or even profit -- of course, organizations need to be finanically viable.
This is really about science in general rather than this particular study. I checked out the study link and could not find out who FUNDED it? Why not?
Who funds a study is very important. Recently we had vegan diet bashing ALL over the media reporting how dangerous vegan diets are based on a study funded by the MEAT INDUSTRY.
I love science but it's DEEPLY corrupted in my experience. So I'm not scared of science, progress or profit but motive.
ALSO, the "silver-bullet" mindset permeates our culture. There are natural solutions to many of the problems we have but science is not looking becasue there's no profit it in. And the medics aren't interested in it because it's a conflict of interest. Seriously, why would they make themselves redundant?
My overall point is that science is far from PURE. It's abused by anyone with an agenda. And although this study is touted as helping metabolic problems, many agendas are HIDDEN (not suggesting this one is)
ALSO... given the "silver-bullet" mindset and the need for profit... do you really think any product produced as a result of researhch such as this would stay in the realm for which it was intended?
The truth is that performance enhancing drugs are already abused, and if a product appears that will give people "benefit" without having to put effort in, they on the whole, will take it.
You only have to look at the diet pill market to see that.
All these things obscure the true solutions from people. They stop people taking the proper actions by providing alternatives.
And finally... research done for profit is different from research done to help people. I have no problem with products in general, just the products which promise a quick fix, when in truth, there is no such thing.
~Mike
ReplyYou sound like someone who would like some nice goji berries or maybe some noni juice those aren't total wastes of money at all and no one overstates there health benefits.
Sarcasm aside I don't take studies at blind faith and this study wasn't trying to sell anything it was simply pointing out discoveries that were recently made in a treatment used to improve the growth of skeletal muscle.
It was the author of the article on diet-blog that made the jump to a "exercise in a pill" not the study.
ReplyGuilty as charged... But everyone else was doing it!! (That didn't work when I was 8 - I doubt it will now).
But seriously, every news outlet that ran this piece made this jump. I agree, the study did no imply that it was an "exercise pill". But come on, would you read an article entitled "AMPK and PPARδ Agonists Are Exercise Mimetics"?
ReplyCereal. We agree on everything as far as I can tell. We just hadn't talked it out :-) The media is actually the biggest culprit when it comes to agendas -- their agenda -- to sell their paper, magazine, whatever. How to do that? Get the most sensational stories and blow it out of proportion. They have a vested interest in confusion.
I see "forces at work" that's all. It all forces. A massive force is the need to earn money -- even where that need is not further fuelled by greed. This forces good people to lose sight of their basic humanity.
I can see in the far future, a humanity not reliant on money -- you know, like star trek where everyone works for the joy of benefiting the whole.
OK I know I lost the plot there! :-) Could happen though eh?
Yeah, and also we all live in tropical paradise and eat only plants and play all day in nature with all the birds and animals. OK I'm off to take my tablets now :-)
~Mike
ReplyTwenty 20 years ago there were perhaps 100-150 publications in the biological sciences. Now there are a couple of thousand. Do you know where the extra material (money) to feed these reseachers and publications comes from? Try product driven sponsors who pay for favorable publications
Reply_
Do you know who does the research? Mediocre researchers...be they at Harvard or some small college. Here is an example of how a lot of reseach is done by these people...this appeared in the clasified collumn of the Baltimore Examiner - Quote:
-
PROBLEMATIC USE OF ENERGY DRINKS?
Seeking research intervies with Children or Adolescents and their parents.
Researchers at John'd Hopkins are seeking children and ado;escents age 8-21 who have gotten sick or had unpleasant side effectsalter consuming energy drinks (eg., Red Bull, Monster, Full Throttle).
Study participation will involve a telephone interview with both child and parent of the child. Please call or email Jenna 410-550-2687 or energydrinks@bpru.org Principal Investigator Roland XXXXXX
NA_00016448
--
In case you do not understand (1)we have a most prestigeous university, Johns Hopkins (2)asking for a biased sample of subjects (3)To do research VIA PHOME!
Peter
So what's next?
A pill to stop someone from being lazy...or is that what this pill would essentially be.
Then you could have a pill that would stop people from being bad drivers. Then a pill that would make your job easier. Then a pill that would make your commute shorter.
Then a pill to make you like you forget life's problems...although I think a lot of people already take those pills :)
But then you'd need a pill to make you remember to take all these pills.
My God. When will this stop? This is something that can actually be good for certain diseases, yet it will be exploited by the pharmaceutical industry (if it even works in people...just a little bit)
Ed
ReplyThis make believe pill that your talking about isn't intended for lazy people, but for those who have problems with metabolic diseases.
I suppose if this does turn out to be beneficial too humans you want take it, and I'm also sure that you avoid taking any and all supplements seeing that health companies will overcharge you grossly for a product that has little to no proven health benefits.
ReplyI have no problem with it being used to people with metabolic diseases, or any other disease that it would benefit.
I also take beneficial supplements on a daily basis, and expensive ones at that.
I am a fitness expert and live a healthy lifestyle and try to get my clients to do the same.
But if you think for one second that if this is proven to work, even in the slightest bit, in people that it won't be exploited and turned into "exercise in a pill", you are sadly mistaken.
I have no problem with profit. I am self-employed and want to make lots of moolah, but that doesn't mean I do it by exploiting people.
ReplyNo I'm not a moron Ed; if this product can help people though ,and has no negative side effects what makes it any different than the multitude of supplements already sold today.
Also most supplements do little for ones health other than maybe a psychosomatic reaction in fact they can do more harm than good .
ReplyEven if it were completely safe, and I took it, I'd still work out!
ReplyThere is no safe drug. My son has a serious allergy to brazil nuts. His doc didn't want him to have the epipen whereas I did -- my argument "better to be safe than sorry."
Her argument "there are no safe drugs, all drugs have side effects." -- from the mouth of a "high up" doctor.
~Mike.
ReplyI see what you are saying, Mike although I don't know that "side effects" necessarily = unsafe in most cases. Does your MD's logic make sense to you? It seems to me that any side effect experienced by an epi pen would be far better than, um... death.
To quote House, MD "Oxygen is so important in those formative years, don't ya think?"
ReplyHa ha... yes side effect better than death, but not better than take him to hospital quick and they can do a better job?
Like I said, I DID NOT AGREE. I would still rather have the pen. Also, a big factor is that they feel it "disturbs" people to always worry if they have the pen or not blah blah -- you know, affect quality of life adversely for what is a tiny risk.
Still -- I would like to make that choice myself.
I'm not ANTI drug. Just that they are not the right solution in MOST cases. Especially CHRONIC illness.
Of course, brazil nut allergy is not chronic but severly acute and therefore -- "GIVE ME THE DRUGS!"
You see?
Mike.
ReplyTotally understand where you are coming from! I see the rationale more clearly now from both sides. I think I'm with you though in that it would still be more comforting to have the pen - especially in situations where you wouldn't be close to a hospital per se.
ReplyI'm glad we had this conversation Mike, I must follow this up. Yes, the worry is if we're away from home perhaps with no hospital.
It's on my "to-do" list :-)
~Mike.
ReplyI don't think you can use the same logic with this pill as you can with an epipen. In the case of anaphylaxis, the epipen will indeed save your life and has a very good track record when it comes to life-altering side effects. This exercise pill, IMHO, doesn't save any lives. Sure, some people WILL eventually die if they don't exercise, but probably only like, 0.01% of the population CANNOT work out. Like I said, even paraplegics can use an arm ergometer to get their heart rates up and swimming, biking, or walking are all exercises that even most morbidly obese people can do. The risks of taking a medication that could seriously mess up your body's enzymes/gene expression GREATLY outweigh the benefits it may have. But people probably won't care, just like people who take Clenbuterol to lose weight probably don't care that it's destroying their thyroid.
ReplyThere is no hidden agenda here.
Drug companies pay scientists to create drugs that will increase their profit and drive their share price higher.
Without this drive for profit, "pure" science would not exist. This is not a new development. Pure science has always required financing.
These drugs would be a licence to print money, and any suggestion that these drugs would only be used on the severely obese or those unable to exercise is false.
DR
Replyhttp://healthhabits.wordpress.com
NO SCIENCE WHY NOT!!
Science should be by the people for the people. Funded by tax dollars.
(in my humble opinion)
~Mike.
ReplyThen there would be no motivation to create new products Habit Guide, and the government shouldn't be given any more money. There terrible enough with money as is so we shouldn't give them more responsibilities.
It would end up as none stop arguing between politicians and there lobbyists on which product to fund ,and that's a scary thought.
ReplyHmm not really... product research would still be funded by whoever. What bothers me is the apparant lack of science where it's needed. Clearly there needs to be funding for "pure" science in the interests of the people.
Why are we still discussing "what to eat" for starters. A hell of a lot more research is needed to answer this question and where exactly will the money come from?
~Mike.
ReplyThe kind of research your talking about (at least I think I know what your talking about) is already publicly founded ,and the most you can get out of that waste of money is a new food pyramid or the always safe eat more vegetables and fruit. Don't give the government any more money they'll just waste it.
ReplyEven if the pill aids metabolism and increases endurance my question is how many more calories does the rat who takes the pill burn vs the one who doesn't if both are sedentary? It's hard for me to believe you can sit around and burn the same number of calories and build the same amount of muscle/endurance as someone who exercises.
ReplyIf this turns out to offer an edge in sports, it'll be just like everything else already available for performance enhancement. It's just too hard to enforce these things. If there's benefit for both healthy folks, and people with medical conditions, then so much the better. I think we could brainstorm lots of situation where people might benefit. How about the weekend warrior overdoing it on the weekend, not really hurt, but being unable to workout for a week... perhaps take this drug and not lose the benefit of a usual daily exercise routine. My 2 cents.
ReplyAustin
http://drughealth.blogspot.com/
YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!
This really takes the cake but it's also a wonderful reflection of exactly the mentality that most people have.
It's amazing how many people want the most rewards for the least amount of effort. But at the end of the day, nothing will ever reproduce the euphoric feeling the exercise provides as well as the sense of accomplishment you get from a great workout.
ReplyEven if this were to work in humans eventually, I think it's a loooong way off and I don't think it could ever replace physical activity. And besides, what negative side effects would it have? No thanks, I'll stick with working out.
ReplyI think that's another shortcut solution that people are desperate.
I tried so many different methods to lose weight and guest which one worked for me? When I started do eating healthy food and exercise, there isn't any other way.
Unfortunately after a few years I went back to be overweight and now I'm on my personal battle again.
At least right now I know what to do.
ReplyI would also have a concern that if they did develop this drug for humans, it would be abused. I'm sure it would be prescription, especially if it's only to treat certain groups of people...but we all know those who self-medicate by ordering prescription drugs online. I heard of someone who was sure that she was hypothyroid...but her doctor disagreed and wouldn't give her medication for it. So she ordered it online and doses it herself!
ReplyIt's easy to see where it would get out of hand. Those who were perhaps lazy and/or busy might see it as a quick fix. Or athletes might take the drug in higher quantities than is recommended to get stronger and leaner. Would it be legal for Olympic athletes to use it, with no way to test for it? Lots of things to think about!
I would say it is quite efficent to pop a pill for getting the benefits of exercising without its pain (assuming no side effects or safety concerns). And for those who argue the purity of intention for usage of this products, wouldn't you take penicillin when you need it, if it was found accidentally during a research in a chemical weapon? or reversely does the fact TNT has been used as an explosive makes Joseph Wilbrand's finding it as a yellow dye ill intentioned?
I would take this pill, if I trust that there is no side effects and a fit and healthy body is the only thing I am looking for. The only reason I won't take though (apart from the safety concerns of course) is that to me exercising represents more than just its results. It means I care about my body and health but more importantly I have what it takes to achieve the results I want. (And of course I feel lucky that I don't have any medical condition like low metabolism or some kind to be in the way of this.)
And my last comment is on the effects of these kind of pills on athletes... I couldn't care less and I can't justify not backing any scientific research to watch fair competion on courts.
ReplyIt just figures that our society would fund research on developing a drug that would allow us as a society to become even MORE sedentary than we already are. This is supposed to be helpful how? There are very few individuals who cannot work out at all...even paraplegics and the super obese can use arm ergometers to elevate their heart rates. For those who can't do very strenuous exercise, there are recumbent bikes, swimming, walking, etc. There is not a whole lot that will make you physically UNABLE to exercise...quadruplegia MAYBE, but those people probably have more severe things to worry about than whether or not they are in very good shape. To me, this sounds like a method of circumventing good ol' fashioned exercise and still reaping the benefits. I wouldn't take a pill like this, even if was approved. Who knows how it will affect other enzymes in the body or if it will permanently f--- up your liver after taking it for a certain amount of time? I'm pretty sure the government's money could be better spent elsewhere...like subsidizing produce farmers and making actual healthy food affordable for people.
ReplySpectra!
It's not that I disagree with what you say. I know a man, he's an Internal Medicine doctor. He's rock solid, handsome, and being crippled with MS. He still works out, but cannot walk, and must use a motorized chair at this point. I have watched him struggle with a courage that few posses. If something like this would help him, it would be worth it.
ReplyOf course...there are definitely those that could benefit from something like this...I was thinking more along the lines of stroke victims/quadruplegics/etc., but I have the sneaking suspicion that the people that DON'T really need it are going to want it more than those that do.
ReplyWhile the Cell journal article and Shering-Plough (funder of the research) got a lot of publicity, few realize they can buy the same chemical compound that the company calls AICAR at most any chemical supply house. Lots of supplement marketers are going to quickly stock the compound as well. Helpful links are at www.TheExercisePill.com, and that domain (address) is for sale at that address.
ReplyIf they need a human study send them my way, I'd be glad to try it out for them.
Reply