Honey, pass the exercise, please… Scientists. They're so busy worrying about whether they CAN do something that they never stop to consider whether or not they SHOULD. This is especially true of those eggheads who develop new drugs-or the technology that creates the desire for new drugs. Need an example? Listen to this: Recently, some Duke University School of Medicine researchers have identified the enzyme that stimulates the production of cellular mitochondria-the part of your body's cells that converts oxygen and other things into energy. In people who exercise, this enzyme becomes more active, producing more of these microscopic "power plants" in their cells… And you guessed it: These scientists have also discovered a way to activate this enzyme WITHOUT any of that pesky exercise. You already know how skeptical I am about exercise and all the "fitness fanatics" telling us to run, pump iron, and otherwise get into a sweat. That said, I recognize the potential upsides of this discovery. Used properly, it could render amazing health benefits to those diabetics, heart patients, and others who are unable to exercise at all-or at least not to the point that it would help them. But would a drug maker really market such a drug as a potential lifesaver? Could they really resist the temptation to hawk it as "exercise-in-a-pill" for busy career-minded people, or package and pitch it as a miracle weight loss plan? I wouldn't lay odds on it.
Urging you to "just say no,"
William Campbell Douglass II, MD
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