On July 27, the University of Southampton, in the UK, announced results from a new study concerning a molecule called Compound 14. When the molecule was fed to obese mice, the rodents shed 5% of their body weight in just seven days. Additionally, the healthy mice thinned down while gorging on a high-fat, high-carb diet—the rodent-equivalent of ice cream and pizza—and all without doing any exercise. The study sparked hysteria, and the miraculous “exercise pill” was immediately covered by The Washington Post, ABC News, Esquire and Shape magazine, which followed up with an online article headlined “An Exercise Pill May Soon Exist for Gym-Haters.” (cell.com)
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But Ali Tavossoli, the study’s principal scientist wants to set the record straight, and make sure people know that Compound 14 is by no means an exercise pill. According to him, Compound 14 and similar molecules, dupe cells into thinking they’ve run out of fuel. And when this happens, cells demand glucose, which they get from burning fat. Taking Compound 14 is not equivalent to doing actual physical activity. Exercise comes with a myriad of health benefits, including heart disease and stroke prevention, stress reduction and lowered cholesterol levels. And this can’t be obtained from taking a pill.
You might be thinking, well how does it work exactly? Basically, the researchers synthesized this Compound 14 molecule to fool the cells in the body into thinking they have run out of energy in the same manner and progression that occurs after physical exercise. In their study, there were able to set off a chain of reaction of unique events inside a cell using this molecule, it then inhibits a specific enzyme that has a critical part in monitoring insulin within a person’s body. When the molecule fools the cell into think they no longer have energy, an increase in the body’s metabolism and glucose levels occur which are typical changes that happen when someone exercises which, in turn, can lead to weight loss.
Most people are just looking to attain a trim physique quickly and the hope is that Compound 14—if it ever hits the market—may help them do just that.
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But don’t get too excited yet. According to Tavossoli, the molecules have only been tested on mice, so it’s still unknown what the effects on humans would be.
Curated article from Outside magazine
Relevant sources and studies:
Cell.com
