We’re all told to exercise more, but that
isn’t always possible for those with
physical disabilities. For such people,
the benefits of aerobic exercise have
always been out of reach. But, now,
a team at the Salk Institute for Biological
Studies in San Diego, California, has
developed a pill that engenders such
effects chemically, with mice given
the drug able to burn fat more effectively
while exhibiting increased stamina.
When people exercise regularly, their
bodies become more adept at using
fat rather than glucose as an energy
source. It’s been known for some time
that this ability is linked to the expression
of a gene called PPARD – mice that were
genetically engineered to have this gene
permanently activated proved more
resistant to weight gain than normal
mice, and had more stamina.
The new research involved giving
mice a chemical compound called
GW1516, which also activatesthe PPARD gene, over a period of eight
weeks. Mice given GW1516 could
typically run for 270 minutes before
becoming exhausted, compared to
160 minutes for the control group.
Closer examination showed that when
the PPARD pathway is activated, the
expression of 975 different genes within
the muscles is affected, with those
involved in burning fat increased and
those involved in breaking down
glucose suppressed.
“PPARD is suppressing all the points
involved in sugar metabolism in
the muscle, so glucose can be
redirected to the brain,” explained
researcher Dr Michael Downes.
“Exercise activates PPARD, but we’re
showing that you can do the same thing
without mechanical training.”
The research sheds new light on
the factors affecting endurance,
and offers disabled patients the hope
of improved quality of life.THE BENEFITS OF
EXERCISE: NOW
IN PILL FORM
How did they do that?
A team at the University of Maryland plunged
two groups of social crayfish into a tank spiked
with booze. Previously, one group had been housed
together in a tank for 10 days, the other group had
been kept in solitary conditions. The team observed
the animals over three hours to determine how
‘drunk’ they were.
What did they find?
When crayfish are tipsy, they stand more upright
and begin thrashing their tails around before finally
flopping over onto their backs – a sight eerily similar
to the scenes in UK town centres on a Friday night.
The team found that it took larger quantities
of alcohol to trigger drunken behaviour in
the loner crayfish.
Why did they do that?
Though they are keen to stress the fact that
the research is still in the preliminary stages,
the researchers say that socially-isolated humans
could show a similar increased tolerance to
the effects of alcohol. This could help to explain
why those who spend a lot of time on their own
often drink more heavily.
RESEARCHERS
GOT CRAYFISH
TIPSY
THEY DID WHAT?!HEALTHCalf muscle of a mouse,
stained to show three
different types of muscle