The “Exercise” Pill

According to this article in the NY Times researchers at the Salk Institute in San Diego reported that they have engineered two pills that trick the muscles into thinking that they have been working out furiously. For now, testing has been only done on lab mice. These drugs have shown up to 75% increase in endurance in mice, and the results will likely apply to people as well since muscle tone from human and mice are similar.

Dr. Ronald M. Evans, leader of the Salk group, mentions:

“It’s a little bit like a free lunch without the calories.”

The pills should be able to help people who are too frail to exercise, and those who suffer from diabetes and obesity. Diet and exercise are crucial to the treatment of diabetic patients, so there is a possibility that this drug could become widely used if it passes FDA guidelines. More testing and research is still needed in order to finalize the drug before it reaches consumers.

High Fat Diet Study in Epileptic Children

BBC News reports that a recent high-fat diet trial in the UK has seen great results in the reduction of seizures in children who suffered from epilepsy. The trial is being conducted in Lancet Neurology, and the diet consists of high-fat, low carbohydrates, and a controlled amount of protein.

Throughout the trial, two groups of children who suffered from epilepsy were given two different diets. The group that received the high-fat diet, saw a reduction of 66% in the amount of seizures, while the percentage remain unchanged for the other group who did not start the high-fat diet.

Professor Helen Cross mentions:

"The parents say the first two weeks are quite difficult, but then it becomes much easier because you can make foods in bulk and it especially helps if you can see the benefits from it.”

While it seems that the trial is successful so far, there are some side-effects, which include constipation, vomiting, lack of energy and hunger. Many hope that this trial will be wide-spread over epileptic children who do not see good results from drug treatment.