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Who needs Thighmaster?
Pop an 'exercise pill' to lose weight
April 15, 1997
Web posted at: 9:31 p.m. EDT (0131 GMT)From Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen
SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- Researchers say they're working on a chemical compound to boost metabolism and lead to weight loss of about a half pound per week.
The compound, dubbed the "exercise pill," succeeded in boosting metabolism by as much as 10 percent in animals. Researchers will present their findings Wednesday at the American Chemical Society's meeting in San Francisco.
Pfizer Pharmaceutical is working on the pill, though other companies are also in the race to develop a "magic pill" that boosts metabolism without causing harmful side effects.
Researchers say if further study shows it works in humans and is safe, it would be at least five years before such a pill would be approved to market to consumers.
Pills available now, like fen-phen and Redux, help to lose weight, but work in a different way. Fen-phen and Redux decrease appetite, thus lowering calorie intake.
A person taking the so-called "exercise pill" would burn calories more efficiently, which would bring about weight loss without dieting.
Doctors say exercise has many other benefits in addition to weight loss. It strengthens heart and lungs, for example, an effect an exercise pill would not provide.
Related stories:
- Rise up, Americans, and exercise! - July 12, 1996
- New obesity drug approved by FDA - April 29, 1996
- Study: weight loss helps heart more than exercise - December 26, 1995
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