Scientists develop pill to replace exercise / News English materials on current affairs by the author Sean Banville

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The article

US researchers say they have developed a pill that makes you fit without exercising. Scientists at California's Salk Institute for Biological Studies tested a new drug on genetically engineered “marathon mice” that could run non-stop for hours. They then developed a pill that could reproduce the positive effects of the running. Researcher Professor Ronald Evans said the pill helps cells burn fat quicker and at the same time boosts energy levels. The new discovery could benefit those who do not get the recommended 40 minutes of exercise per day. Professor Evans said: "If you're out of shape, and most of us are…you have to do some exercise.…If there was a way to mimic exercise, it would make the quality of exercise [we] have much more efficient."

Fitness experts are unconvinced by the new discovery. They say there is no substitute for real exercise and a balanced, healthy diet. However, it seems there would be enormous appeal for a pill that does away with the need for strenuous workouts or sweating it out jogging. If the effects can be reproduced in humans, it could become one of science’s biggest money-spinners. It could additionally reduce a large number of diseases related to obesity and seriously cut the number of hospital patients. Scientists also say such a medicine could be used to treat muscle-wasting diseases. The pills are still in the experimental stage and the researchers are not working with any drug manufacturer.

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