This is because researchers have recently developed a drug that when tested on mice apparently “mimics” the effects and benefits one gets from exercise. The drug – dubbed AICAR by researchers – could be the next “super” pill because when it was given to sedentary mice, they were able to burn calories and fat more quickly and more efficiently than mice not given the drug. What’s more, among those mice treated with the pill and then tested on a treadmill, their performance was markedly better than those mice untreated – running farther (44 percent farther) and for a longer period of time (23 percent longer).

What’s the upshot to all this?  Researchers believe that if the results of taking the drug are in any way similar when tested on humans – which hasn’t been done as of yet – it could revolutionize the way we look at exercise by bottling it and selling it in tablet form.

While I agree the marketing of exercise in pill form would revolutionize how the world looks at exercise, it wouldn’t be a positive development.

First off, as the researchers say, even if the effects are found to be similar in humans, the only way one could actually see results is by taking the pill for a long period of time.  So basically in order to lose weight, you have to line the pockets of the yet-to-be-named pharmaceutical giant, and even then, there’s no knowing what side effects might result after prolonged usage.

Remember ephedra?  Ephedra was a stimulant found in an array of supplements at your local GNC, online retailer and virtually every other nutrition store throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.  It was believed that taking ephedra increased one’s athletic performance, enabling the avid workout fiend to work harder, run farther, and lift heavier.  The problem was that it was loaded with side-effects, like increasing one’s heart rate and blood pressure dramatically.  Ephedra rendered speed-like effects to its user, causing some to die from heart attacks or strokes (Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Vikings fans know this all too well).

Thankfully, the FDA did the right thing (this time) and decided to ban the supplement in 2004.  While ephedra is no doubt bought and sold today, people do so at the risk of their own lives and their loved ones.

I have no doubt that this drug – if it winds up being marketed to people – will meet the same fate as ephedra.  Just as ephedra was initially believed to be safe, it didn’t take long before its true effects were made manifest. 

There’s nothing out there that mimics exercise and its benefits as effectively as exercise itself.  Not only does it do wonders for you physically, it also does wonders for you mentally.  And if the physical benefits of exercise can be put in tablet form – which I don’t believe they can – the mental benefits acquired from exercise cannot be.  Don’t fall victim to the hype.  Stick with the real thing – nothing beats it.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, after 25 years, a disturbing trend may have finally leveled off. The disturbing trend? Obesity in children.

That’s right. Since 1980, there’s been a steady increase in the number of children classified as “obese,” which is anyone that has a body mass index over 30. Since 2004, the 11 percent of children who are severely obese and the 16 percent of children who are obese has not increased.
 

Researchers and doctors, when asked about the leveling off, believe much of the credit goes to policies schools have taken in the cafeteria encouraging more nutritious meal options while discouraging the availability of vending machines that are so often frequented by children during lunch hours or at school day’s end.

If this is indeed the case, our children are all the better for it and our schools deserve a round of applause.  But if the leveling off has more to do with diet pills than better exercise and eating habits, then the round of applause will be drowned out by a chorus of boos aimed at drug companies.

While I’m all for supplementation, I am avowedly against diet pills, particularly when it comes to children.  Not only do they not work, but according to a recent study, they may adversely affect a child’s brain development.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) investigated a new drug that’s widely available in Europe.  This drug, apparently, contains a chemical that “blocks” neurons in the brain from reaching brain receptors that signal to the body when it’s hungry.

To determine whether this drug adversely impacted the brain, mice were given a version of the weight loss pill that contained a compound similar to the one found in the weight loss pill called Acomplia.  The doctors then closed one of each of the mice’s eyes, then had the mice go through an obstacle course to see how their actions adapted to seeing out of only one eye.  Due to the chemicals’ blocking the brain’s receptors, called cannabinoid receptors, the mice acted as though both their eyes were open.  This indicated to the researchers that their brain was not able to adapt to visual changes, and that this was due to the rimonabant-like compound in the drug they’d ingested (Rimonabant is the compound in Acomplia that “blocks” the cannabinoid receptors).

Acomplia has not been sanctioned for use in the United States due to observed psychiatric issues 40 percent of heart patients had with the drug in testing.  Nevertheless, the maker of the drug, Sanofi, say it’s safe for use in adults and stand behind its effectiveness.

Quite simply, there’s only one truly effective – and safe – way to keep our children’s weight in check:  a nutritious diet combined with regular exercise.  As adults, we ought to take the same advice.