15 replies to this topic

[doug123]

Wow...

News Source: The Independent



30 April 2007 15:02

'Exercise pill' tricks body into burning twice the fat
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
Published: 30 April 2007

American scientists have discovered an "exercise pill" that switches on a gene that tells cells to burn fat.

The un-named drug, which is in the early stages of development, could offer an answer to the obesity crisis. Researchers who have tested it in mice say that it prevented the mice putting on weight even when they were fed a high-fat diet. The drug triggers the same fat burning process that occurs during exercise, even when the mice are not active. By kickstarting the metabolism, more calories are burnt than are consumed.

Ronald Evans, a researcher at the Salk Institute in California said he hoped that such "metabolic trickery" would lead to new treatments for human metabolic syndrome, a condition marked by obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol which raises the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

He presented his findings to a conference of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Washington, yesterday.

Existing drugs for obesity work by reducing appetite or preventing the absorption of fat.

In earlier research, Dr Evans identified the receptor that tells cells when to burn fat, when to store it and regulates muscle development. Through genetic engineering, he created a family of mice born with an innate resistance to weight gain and twice the physical endurance of normal mice.

In the latest research, Dr Evans and colleagues have found a drug that can activate the receptor switch in fat cells temporarily, opening up the possibility of a one-a-day pill for fully grown adults who needed to increase their energy expenditure and lose weight.

He said: "Too few people get an ideal amount of exercise. Having access to an exercise pill would improve the quality of muscles, and increase the burning of energy or excess fat [lowering] the risks of heart disease and diabetes."

[lucid]

"Kick starting the metabolism...."

Hmm sounds kind of like caffine pills. I wonder if "kick starting" the metabolism will increase the rate of aging. I guess it is better to age a little quicker than live with the social consequences and health risks of being overweight.

I wonder if it can really deliver on lowering the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and other health risks associated with poor diet and low exercise where as I don't exactly see how burning more calories = less cholesterol. I guess i could see how lower blood glucose levels will help with diabetes.

[Shepard]

It's a PPAR-delta agonist, I think. Should work very well in mice, humans...I don't know.

Not that a drug to cause weight loss is very exciting. Already got quite a few.

[proteomist]

The stock market may disagree with this perspective.

Not that a drug to cause weight loss is very exciting. Already got quite a few.

[trance]

Most of the drug companies have been working on this "pill" for some time now:

http://www.forbes.co...h_0715ppar.html

[Shepard]

The stock market may disagree with this perspective.

So will a lot of fat people too lazy to go for a run. Or, for that matter, to even educate themselves on the subject.

[proteomist]

Beyond your disdain for fat people, does it not seem to you that PPARdelta agonists could be useful in terms of preserving physical endurance and insulin sensitivity as we age? Seems that way to me, but I may be overlooking something.

The stock market may disagree with this perspective.

So will a lot of fat people too lazy to go for a run. Or, for that matter, to even educate themselves on the subject.

[edward]

The problem with such pills that report to increase metabolism and fat burning is that they very well could be pro aging. More energy expenditure more free radicals more turnover of everything... Definitely pro aging all this occurs all day long rather than exercise which is relatively brief in comparison. One interesting way around this may be uncoupling agents but thats another subject or maybe this is an uncoupling agent... if so it could be interesting.

[proteomist]

Definitely. But people who do consume a large caloric excess and don't excercise, which is the majority of americans, are probably better off burning the fuel and suffering the radicals than storing it and tending to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The problem with such pills that report to increase metabolism and fat burning is that they very well could be pro aging. More energy expenditure more free radicals more turnover of everything... Pro aging if this occurs all day long rather than exercise which is relatively brief in comparison.

[Shepard]

Beyond your disdain for fat people, does it not seem to you that PPARdelta agonists could be useful in terms of preserving physical endurance and insulin sensitivity as we age? Seems that way to me, but I may be overlooking something.

I think they might have some role. PPAR-delta isn't as well studied an area as alpha/gamma. Theoretically, they do offer some anti-aging advantages. However, theoretically, they should also offer body composition benefits beyond what has been seen so far amongst people using them.

BTW, I have no problems with fat people. I have problems with the fat people who want to lose weight and blame something other than themselves for their failure. I'm pretty jaded in this area for several reasons.

[proteomist]

Thanks, good to know. I'll have to read the literature. And I can sure understand the jaded part. I think of chronic obesity as being very similar in a lot of cases to drug or gambling addictions and junkies of any sort can get really tiresome, what with the excuses and rationalizing and so on. That said, I think there are a huge number of americans who are simply ignorant of health matters, lead densely scheduled lives, and are surrounded by poor food choices. One can very legitimately argue that they ought to take some time and learn the dangers of their lifestyle, but they aren't likely to. Aside from any concern for their personal safety, enabling them to more easily be healthy is in the best interest of all of us, as they are a huge public health burden that ultimately ends up costing most all of us.

Beyond your disdain for fat people, does it not seem to you that PPARdelta agonists could be useful in terms of preserving physical endurance and insulin sensitivity as we age? Seems that way to me, but I may be overlooking something.

I think they might have some role. PPAR-delta isn't as well studied an area as alpha/gamma. Theoretically, they do offer some anti-aging advantages. However, theoretically, they should also offer body composition benefits beyond what has been seen so far amongst people using them.

BTW, I have no problems with fat people. I have problems with the fat people who want to lose weight and blame something other than themselves for their failure. I'm pretty jaded in this area for several reasons.

[curious_sle]

To quote Michael
"
Unfortunately, even as it increases HDL & reverse cholesterol
transport, PPAR-d appears to cause macrophages to suck up cholesterol
via the scavenger receptors, which wold be expected to be nastily
atherogenic:

J Biol Chem 2001 Nov 23;276(47):44258-65
"
http://groups.google...2f64ef93da38db4

[Shepard]

Worth looking over:

http://www.jci.org/c.../116/3/590#SEC8

[curious_sle]

Worth looking over:

http://www.jci.org/c.../116/3/590#SEC8

Ah a quite informative review, thank you. I rest my case for the time being

[proteomist]

Has anyone here been able to determine which drug exactly was used in the studies we're hearing about? All I've heard is that it's a fat analog of some sort. Crappy vague mainstream science reporting.... [ang]

[danielrichard]

BTW, I have no problems with fat people. I have problems with the fat people who want to lose weight and blame something other than themselves for their failure. I'm pretty jaded in this area for several reasons.

Not that there aren't people who are fat simply because of their own conscious choices, but aren't you oversimplifying a bit. There are a wide range of reasons that people are obese, from culture to psychological conditions to the current complete disconnect between cost and calorie density, taste and calorie density, limiting consumption rate and calorie density, satiety and calorie density, etc. I'm not going to minimize this as "it's all McDonald's fault!!!" or whatever, but still, I think it's a gross oversimplification to say that it's people's own fault. I think drugs like this would have been unnecessary 50 years ago, and yeah, back then, it was probably more to blame on people's choices. But today, the drugs are sorely needed, short of major changes at the social, cultural, governmental, and economic levels. Since those changes take largescale grassroots efforts, our best bet for saving lives and making society more visually appealing (we're facing a hottie shortage of crisis proportionss!) is to get these drugs developed and to market.