Couch Potatoes Everywhere Raise Their Fists, Weakly, In Celebration

Why do rodents always get the good stuff first? I mean, the FDA needs to seriously fast track this stuff, as my couch-potato body is absolutely refusing to do anything as onerous as 'exercise', and soon won't actually be able to do any of same. If this goes on too long, what we'll have is a group of super-rodents capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound and a bunch of pasty humans just waiting to be run over.

Hmmm, maybe there's an idea for a story there...

As the owner of many pet rodents, let me assure you that the medical state of the art for rats is many, many year behind that for humans. When medicines are given to rats, the researchers generally aren't trying to find out how well the meds work on rats.

I have discovered another item that helps me get off my ass. Disc Golf. I sit at a desk at work. I sit at a desk at home. I sit. But w/ Disc Golf, I actually get moving around.

Beware Disc Golf. That stuff is addicting. Might just get you to exercise. It is of the devil! But too late.

Now if I just didn't suck.

Hmmmm, Kari Byron.

*sigh*

I'm concerned about the cavalier way these scientists create rodent super races.

(Oh scientists: Can't we agree that the current rodent super races are sufficient?)

~Frequent Subway User

I, for one, welcom—          no, wait, actually I don't.

I don't see that working too well for humans, the strain on the heart would be too much if it wasn't conditioned to work as hard.


besides, I'm still waiting on virtual reality and the cure for baldness before I can get a six pack sitting on my ass

I was going to post something trenchant and witty about this, but that would just take too much effort.

I haven't seen this thought anywhere else. Let me know if anyone has.

These drugs may be an effective way to combat the effects of freefall on muscle atrophy.

Hey, my field!

AICAR (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside) simulates AMP - or, basically, makes your body think that it is currently energy deprived (because the ration of ATP to AMP lowers). One response is to increase the rate of glucose metabolism - and likely fat metabolism - which would provide the plausible basis for change in muscle-fiber composition.

BUT (many buts). For that alteration to cause e.g. weight loss requires that the animal be exercising; very few couch potato mice. And to make things worse, we recently found that repeated hypoglycemia (which is akin to taking AICAR several times) leads to a *doubling* of body weight, and assorted other problems, in rats (which are closer to humans than are mice). I can provide .pdfs of the work if anyone actually cares ;)

A Mountain Dew IV drip? That sounds awesome!!