This Pill Might Someday Deliver The Benefits Of Exercise Without You Having To Exercise

It is no secret that regular exercise benefits your body. From building muscle to keeping your lungs and heart healthy, it really should be a way of life. Recent research has discovered that a hormone called irisin is responsible for the majority of these health benefits. Irisin boosts metabolism, encourages fat burning and might one day be available in a pill. Although it is common in animals, irisin was not believed to be found in humans. In 2012, a study was published suggesting that irisin was responsible for turning inert white fat into metabolically active brown fat. Despite the credentials that came with the study (it was conducted by researchers out of Harvard), exercise scientists questioned the methods used to detect the hormone and remained skeptical. Bruce M. Spiegelman, a professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School, and co-author of the original study, was able to confirm his findings by using tandem mass spectrometry. This precise method is able to identify particles at the atomic level. Not only was Spiegelman able to measure levels of the hormone in people, but he demonstrated that irisin levels rise during exercise. Other research has shown that increasing the level of irisin in mice leads to weight loss and improved blood sugar control as well as the previously mentioned conversion of white fat cells to brown fat cells. Francesco Celi, at Virginia Commonwealth University, poured over these results and is convinced that irisin is the real deal but does caution that more research is needed to determine exactly how it effects white and brown fat cells. Researchers are now looking into whether or not irisin can be delivered in a pill form. That's right, a pill that will give you the benefits of exercise without the exercise. But, until then, be happy knowing that your daily sweat sessions are stirring up some irisin and giving you a calorie burning edge! Do you think this miracle pill is on the horizon? When, and if it, becomes available, will you take it? Source: Prevention