New "Exercise Pill' Offers Promise For those with Mobility Issues

This sounds promising for those unable to exercise

	It sounds like a couch potato's dream come true - an "exercise pill" that keeps the body trim and fit without having to budge from the sofa. The drug has already been tested in mice, and scientists are so concerned about the implications they are developing ways to prevent its abuse by cheating athletes.
Researchers made the discovery after studying the biological signals that allow the body to respond to exercise. They found that certain chemicals could stimulate the same pathways to boost endurance and burn up fat. Mice fed the drugs were turned into mini-marathon runners with extra reserves of stamina that did not put on weight. Tested on treadmills, they were able to run faster and for longer than untreated animals. One drug, called AICAR, increased running time by 44% even in mice that did absolutely no exercise. Lead researcher Professor Ronald Evans, from the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, said: "We were blown away. This is a drug that is like pharmacological exercise. After four weeks of receiving the drug, the mice were behaving as if they'd been exercised." Sedentary animals given the drug actually ran longer and further than than those which had exercise training, he said. As well as having greater endurance, mice given the drugs experienced other benefits usually associated with exercise. They remained lean even when fed a high fat diet that would normally have caused them to become obese, and their insulin response improved, lowering blood sugar levels.
	The new research, published in the journal Cell, also suggests the drugs might help reverse the muscle frailty associated with ageing, or diseases such as muscular dystrophy. The scientists are now working in conjunction with the World Anti-Doping Agency to develop a blood or urine test for the drugs.