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American scientists have discovered an "exercise pill" that switches on a gene that tells cells to burn fat.
The unnamed drug, which is in the early stages of development, could offer an answer to the obesity crisis.
Researchers who tested it in mice said it stopped the mice putting on weight even when 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, on Monday.
Existing drugs for obesity work by reducing appetite or stopping fat from being absorbed.
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 mice born with an innate resistance to weight gain and twice the normal physical endurance.
Now 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.
"Too few people get an ideal amount of exercise," he said. "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."
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