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New Drug Mimics the Beneficial Effects of Exercise
Zothecula writes "A drug known as SR9009, which is currently under development at The Scripps Research Institute, increases the level of metabolic activity in skeletal muscles of mice. Treated mice become lean, develop larger muscles and can run much longer distances simply by taking SR9009, which mimics the effects of aerobic exercise. If similar effects can be obtained in people, the reversal of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and perhaps Type-II diabetes might be the very welcome result."
Or you know, people could just go outside for a walk.
I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer.
If it seems too good to be true...
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Biology being what it is, it's reasonable to think that the health benefits of exercise are a multi-factor phenomenon and that any one chemical will deliver fewer benefits than the real thing.
Then the odds are that the drug won't be bio-equivalent to the chemical signals released by real exercise and will have side effects as a result.
Soon, there will be two kinds of nerds: Those on SR9009 and those they beat up.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
XtremeShred, Fatbusterone, Buffadrine2000. Additionally they should only market it using annoying popup ads and late night television.
I will probably work great... except for the anal leakage.
Proverbs 21:19
Steroids, contrary to the public perception, can be used responsibly and with few health consequences, especially by men, to more easily lose fat and gain muscle.
It's not quite a free lunch, you can't sit on your couch and become Ronnie Coleman, but it will accelerate things.
Oops, sorry. Because we must protect the "integrity" of sports (and the money they bring in) we decided Steroids should be scheduled drugs
They'd probably do the same thing if something like this actually worked.
I always thought exercise mimicked the beneficial effects of drugs.
"Kill 'em all and let Root sort 'em out"
When one MUST commute 45 minutes one way, work a ten hour day, commute another 45 minutes - traffic permitting, eat, do chores, etc .. getting proper exercise is challenging to say the least.
I'm a real fitness nut and I have to plan my day pretty carefully and set some strict limits on other people's demands on my time.
It's extremely difficult in technology since the culture is to live to work and live at work - if you're not constantly in front of the computer, then something is wrong with you.
That way I can work on my 6-pack
A drug that tricks the body to respond as if it has been exercising will work on all muscles. Real exercise only works on the muscles that you use. Overuse of this drug would be expected to cause muscle growth where you don't want it. Bulk up those facial muscles.
Sure, in limited cases, this could be great. I'm thinking of cases where people can't exercise, using this in low doses to reduce the length of rehabilitation. Stuck in bed for a month or two due to a car accident? This is for you.
Of course, if it works, it will be abused. Need to get that extra edge for the Tour de France?
It would have the same beneficial effects of SR9009 plus the laundry would always be done.
It must be comforting to "know" that a study must be false by virtue of the fact that you disagree with its conclusion.
Why not? It works for politics.
..And I hear ARod is already being investigated for it.
One of the problems facing astronauts: long periods of microgravity cause bone and muscle loss. I've read science fiction stories where people had to take pills to maintain their bones and muscles; they called them "gravity pills".
If this drug really works, I'm wondering if the astronauts in the space station, future Mars missions, etc. might wind up taking it drug routinely.
Probably a Mars mission will need to have some sort of rotating crew module to produce a gravity-like acceleration, as it will likely require at least seven months for the trip.
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
Exercise doesn't make you healthy, it's your body's response to exercise that makes you healthy. Of course it can be simulated.
The Moore-Murphy Law: The number of things that will go wrong will double every 2 years.
I guess that money I shelled out for an exercise bike to slouch on while I watch Food Network shows was wasted, huh?
Turn your exercise bike to face away from the TV, turn on Fox and Friends and pretend they're chasing you. Those extra pounds will come off in no time. :-)
[ Ahhhhh... Steve Doocy is right behind me .... Must... peddle... faster... ]
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
From TFA:
Previous studies on mice lacking Rev-ErbA showed decreased skeletal muscles, metabolic rate, and running capacity. Such mice appeared fated by their genetics to live as couch potatoes.
When Burris' group administered SR9009 to these mice to activate the Rev-Erb protein, the results were remarkable. The metabolic rate in the skeletal muscles of the mice increased significantly. The treated mice were not allowed to exercise, but despite this they developed the ability to run about 50 percent further before being stopped by exhaustion.
So they created some broken mice and then treated them with a drug that reversed what they broke. And, what do you know? The effects were reversed too.
I'd like to see a followup on unmodified mice to see if they also benefit. If Rev-ErbA is already present and active at normal levels, the drug may not do anything.
All we need now is just a sex pill. Then we can sit on the sofa all day updating our facebook status, while having all our needs satisfied popping pills.
Go humans!
Or, depending on your politics, try MSNBC: "Rachel Maddow is after me! Peddle for your life!"
I am officially gone from
We are masses of blood and other fluids integrated with a machinery (bones, muscles, cartilage, and other tissues) that was designed to be moving.
Drugs like that may bring some of the benefits produced by exercise, but ultimately our bodies depend on movement for many functions. For example, bones that are not stressed by exercise become brittle. Cartilage in our spine and joints have no direct blood circulation, but depend on the blood flow of surrounding tissue. Lack of movement deprives cartilage of indirect blood flow.
I doubt that a single drug can replace all the benefits of moving our bodies.
I'd blame it more on the scientists (and their organizations). There are all kinds of self-serving reasons for a lab to convince people they're on the verge of some great breakthrough. I've been hearing about cancer cures 5 years down the road for about 20 years now.
I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
According to the Nature paper referenced, they think part of the way it works is increased creation of working mitochondria, and increased recycling of nonworking mitochondria.
That's a useful thing to be able to modify. There are a number of diseases that seem to involve increasing mitochondrial disfunction or decreased numbers of them.
In fact, one of the theories of aging is that the mitochondria stop working so well contributing to senescence because there's less energy for the cell to do routine things like take out the trash (buildup of nonworking protein and other remnants). That's certainly not the whole story on aging, but it's likely a part of it.
This may not work in humans, or even if it does might not lead to an exercise pill, but this is certainly interesting work.
Exercise that only tones the muscles isn't the most productive. Exercises that do this and integrate body and mind (such as a skilled sport or a martial art) do much more, and I doubt these drugs would accomplish any of that.
John_Chalisque