Science News
Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, and other research institutions have successfully packed the benefits of exercise in a pill. The study is published in the journal Nature.
The Study
The researchers injected Lac-Phe (a blood plasma compound) from mice who underwent intense treadmill running into mice with diet-induced obesity for a period of time. They also replicated the same experiment in humans and race horses to cross-check the results.
The Findings
The results revealed that a high dose of Lac-Phe reduced food intake and obesity in the fat mice after 10 days. The effect was nearly as if exercise were a pill.
The researchers explained that during exercise, an amino acid molecule called Lac-Phe is released into our bodies. It is synthesized from organic compounds like lactate, phenylalanine, and CNDP2 (an enzyme). It suppresses food intake, without affecting our body movements or energy expenditure. In the process, it improves glucose tolerance and lowers body weight.
One of the lead researchers, Dr. Jonathan Long, explained: “Lac-Phe is an ancient and conserved system that regulates feeding and is associated with physical activity in many animal species.”
Lac-phe In Diet And Exercise Plan For Weight Loss
The researchers have acknowledged the potential of the Lac-Phe pill to replace exercise. They are enthusiastic that including such similar organic exercise mimetics into diet and exercise plans for weight loss can successfully lower public health hazards like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, coronary diseases, etc.
To Know More You May Refer To
Li, V. L., He, Y., Contrepois, K., Liu, H., Kim, J. T., Wiggenhorn, A. L., Tanzo, J. T., Tung, A. S., Lyu, X., Zushin, P. H., Jansen, R. S., Michael, B., Loh, K. Y., Yang, A. C., Carl, C. S., Voldstedlund, C. T., Wei, W., Terrell, S. M., Moeller, B. C., … Long, J. Z. (2022). An exercise-inducible metabolite that suppresses feeding and obesity. Nature, 606(7915), 785-790. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04828-5