Exercise may become a thing of the past

Obesity and exercise could become a thing of the past if scientists can finalize the creation of two performance enhancing drugs. 

The drugs go by scientific names AICAR and GW1516 and will target couch potatoes and those already in shape. The drugs will provide the same physiological benefits of exercise… only without the sweat. 

Recent reports published in the journal Cell show how the drugs turned mice into championship runners. Although testing hasn’t been done on people, it’s believed there won’t be any trouble finding volunteers. 

Who wouldn’t volunteer to become slim and trim without lifting a single weight or doing any cardio?

AICAR will appeal to the couch potato because it builds endurance and encourage fat burning similar to physical exercise.

The GW1516 drug increased endurance for those already physically active. The test was used on mice running 30 minutes per day on a treadmill. 

Ronald Evans of the Salk Institute started testing by altering the genetics of mice to have extreme physical endurance and store fat regardless of how much they ate. After studying the altered gene, Evans began experimenting on how this could benefit humans. 

Evans believes the drugs could be beneficial to those with muscular dystrophy, muscle wasting diseases or those physically unable to exercise. 

The downside of these drugs could be the seductiveness for professional athletes to cheat. With increased usage of steroids and growth hormones, cheating has become a way of life for many athletes. Read any local sports headline and you will find a story about someone hitting a ton of homeruns. 

To deter potential cheating, Evans has devised blood and urine tests to detect these drugs.Most likely, these drugs will be expensive once they hit the market. People will be willing to spend hundreds if not thousands. 

In a society where everyone wants to be thin and beautiful, we are always looking for the elusive fountain of youth. 

There seems to be a quick fix pill for everything in life; whether it be medication for out of control children or athletes wanting arms bigger than a gorilla’s. 

With everything else that gets fixed with a pill, these pills will be a welcomed addition into society.