How would you love to eat everything you desire and never sweat again? Does that sound appealing? Scientists are actually working on an exercise pill that could make that possible! This amazing new pill could make us immune to weight gain and give us the benefits of athletic training, all while we sit in front of the television.

You might think these impressive results are right out of a science fiction book, but they're actually taking place as you read this article! Of course, the only beneficiaries right now are mice, but one day, humans could benefit from these amazing findings too. Imagine being fit, without working for it!

Two different drugs were used in this experiment, AICAR and GW1516. Dr. Ronald Evans, a molecular physiologist with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and professor at Salk Institute's Gene Expression Laboratory recently released his preliminary results.

The first drug, GW1516, was used on exercise-trained mice. GW1516 increased both their running distance and running time by over 65%! GW1516 is a compound currently being used in the development of a drug to raise HDL levels, providing humans with higher levels of good cholesterol.

The drug, AICAR, was administered to the mice that didn't exercise. Their results were perhaps the most amazing of all! Without ever "breaking a sweat", these mice showed improvements in both muscle tone and endurance! Their running time increased by 23% and their distance increased by 44%!

Amazingly, the physical composition of the muscles was actually changed as a result of AICAR. Muscles that previously were categorized as "sugar-burning fast-twitch fibers" morphed into "fat-burning slow-twitched fibers." What does that mean to those of us who aren't scientists? The muscles of the mice given AICAR showed the same benefits that occur in athletes trained as cyclists and distance runners!

Sure, "couch potatoes" will be excited to hear this news, but doctors are anticipating all the wonderful benefits to the thousands of people who are unable to exercise. Joint pain, long hospital stays, and other circumstances keep many people from being active.

This exciting new "exercise pill" has a fat-burning ability that could potentially aid in weight loss In addition, it could decrease adipose tissue, lower blood sugar levels, lessen resistance to insulin, decrease the risk of diabetes, lessen muscle wasting, and decrease the risk of heart disease.

Even with all of the amazing benefits that these drugs may provide for our overall health, Dr. Evans noted a potentially negative component to the research. The benefits of these drugs may be irresistible to some professional athletes, in an era when having an advantage equates to big bucks. Because of this, detection tests have been developed for use by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

So, will these impressive results transfer from mice to humans, and if so, how long before we can sign up? That information is still pending, but this research is exciting enough that people will be waiting on the edge of their seats for answers.