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BOSTON (WBZNewsRadio) - Researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School have released data from a recent study that maps the genes and cellular pathways that contribute to exercise-induced weight loss.
The research now illuminating a potential path for the development of drugs that would mimic the benefits of aerobic exercise, without having to leave your couch.
The researched aimed to expand scientists' understanding of how exercise and diet affect the body and looked at mice with high-fat or normal diets, some were sedentary while others were given the opportunity to exercise whenever they wanted. Then scientists noted the response of cells found in the skeletal muscle and fatty tissues.
The researchers also found that high-fat diets and exercise had opposing effects on our circadian rhythms, which governs many of our body functions from sleep to body temperature, hormone release and even digestion. The study found exercise boosts the regulation of the circadian rhythm, while a high-fat diet suppresses that regulation.
So the big question for Bostonians, would you try it?
"It sounds like for people who aren't able to get outside and go to the gym, it sounds like a great thing. But for me? I like to be active so, wouldn't do it." An aspiring personal trainer told WBZ's James Rojas.
Researchers say the potential drug isn't meant to replace exercise entirely but rather act as additional help those individuals who struggle with diet and exercise.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) reports
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