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Researches have made another step along the path to an 'exercise pill'. The latest discovery is a compound which 'switches' muscles into metabolizing fats instead of sugars without the usual aerobic training. This helps delay "hitting the wall", significantly. In a mouse study sedentary mice increased the amount of time spent on endurance exercise from 160 minutes to 270, without additional aerobic training. It is hypothesized the drug 'encourages' muscles to use fats for energy even when sugars are available. This is thought to mimic one of the adaptions brought on by aerobic exercise training. The results were published in the journal of Cell Metabolism PPARδ Promotes Running Endurance by Preserving Glucose. For those without an organic chemistry background, CBC Radio's science program has an interview accompanying article with the study author.
(Score: 4, Touché) by caffeine on Tuesday May 09 2017, @08:54AM (4 children)
I wonder how long before professional cyclists start testing this for us?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @09:04AM
They already are. They found this compound by refining professional cyclists'blood
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Rivenaleem on Tuesday May 09 2017, @10:57AM (2 children)
The real question is, how long before this becomes commercially available? It saddens me that the "Drugs are Bad" mantra has prevented us from getting to Iain M Banks levels of drugs and biochemistry. If there wasn't such a taboo on performance enhancing drugs, we could have a water supplement that turned us all into superhumans by now.
(Score: 2) by caffeine on Tuesday May 09 2017, @11:48AM
Funny you should mention Banks, I'm just rereading Consider Phlebas as the moment. One of the few authors I'll happily reread.
(Score: 2) by bd on Tuesday May 09 2017, @03:23PM
Citing wikipedia, the drug is available on the black market under the name "endurobol", if you are interested. Street price is reported to be 1000$ per 10 mg. See your local body-building place, I guess.
One slight drawback of the drug is that it was found to be _quite_ carcinogenic, stopping commercial development. Of course it was still used for doping. Who cares wether you'll live to 40.
I guess that makes it more of a William Gibson level of drugs and biochemistry.
Nevermind, a non-carcinogenic PPARδ-agonist would actually be a very profitable drug, as it can be used to emulate the physical exercise part of succesful obesity treatment.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @10:34AM
This could be really handy for avoiding hypoglycemia in type-1 diabetics when exercising.
(Score: 3, Informative) by looorg on Tuesday May 09 2017, @10:56AM (2 children)
Unlike other pills I don't want this to last longer, I want the exercise to be over quicker but with more and better result. Not being able to go for longer. 160-270 minutes, yeah I'm not going to be spending three hours in the gym much less four and a half. While it might be great in some sort of endurance perspective or for the pro-athletes it doesn't change how utterly dull going to the gym is for me.
... Pinky and the Brain ... One is a genius ... The other is insane ..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @02:12PM (1 child)
actually I find the fact that you start burning fat sooner to be great.
it means that you take this pill, exercise for half an hour, and actually lose weight.
(normally you would just get hungry).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @07:00PM
ketogenic diet
(Score: 2, Informative) by cloud.pt on Tuesday May 09 2017, @11:29AM
Wikipedia-sourced, but apparently this gene is related to a lot of good and bad stuff, including colorectal cancer. There is no consensus, but seems like there's way too much study and the testing of time left before the overweight (like me) throw a burger party.
(Score: 3, Funny) by justinb_76 on Tuesday May 09 2017, @11:39AM (1 child)
I used this stuff years ago, worked great! Except I don't remember it being in a pill form, as I recall it was usually in a white powdery variety (occasionally iridescent sorta like fish scales?).
Must not have been FDA approved back then as it wasn't available over the counter either, you actually had to meet up with an urban pharmaceutical sales rep to purchase it. But yeah, good stuff :)
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Tuesday May 09 2017, @12:00PM
Are you still alive?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @12:40PM
take the Company pill and get back to work!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @02:09PM
Does this allow you to 'starve' fats away without killing off muscles and brain cells?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @03:28PM
I take a wake-up pill and fill with energy. I take a driving pill and head to my car. The rest of the day is similar, and all I know is my steak tastes better when I take my steak-taste-better pill.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 09 2017, @04:07PM (1 child)
Check out fig 1H: http://www.cell.com/cms/attachment/2092276348/2076489556/gr1.jpg [cell.com]
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday May 09 2017, @06:51PM
Woah!
Sure, the blind math may be correct, but those interpolation lines are NOT what the raw data says.
Thanks for pointing it out.