4 ms·

Of the four conditions he mentioned (depression, autism, hypertension, obesity), I don't suppose there is evidence to suggest that, I don't know, regular exerci

Of the four conditions he mentioned (depression, autism, hypertension, obesity), I don't suppose there is evidence to suggest that, I don't know, regular exercise would cure at least two?

chaosmachine 17y ago
But exercise doesn't come in convenient pill form.
warfangle 17y ago
At least three - in some people. Regular exercise has been shown[1] to reduce the signs of depression in some people (but, obviously, not others). From what I know of hypertension (not much), it's more of a disposition - if you treat yourself poorly, and you have a disposition towards it, you might develop it later in life. Exercise and diet, of course, are preventative - but not a cure; once you are diagnosed, it's like a warning sign from your body flashing "hey you, be careful, you're hurting me!" And it's not just regular exercise, a balanced diet is a must. If all you eat is corn (factory farmed meat; processed foods; just about everything cheap in the grocery store) - but you run on a treadmill 30 minutes a day - you're still going to put on weight. [1] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression-and-exercise/MH00043 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression-and-exercise/MH0...
- wazoox 17y ago
  I suffer from hypertension. I'm not currently fat and haven't been for some years, I run 35 km every week or more, but I still need the pills (with their nasty side-effects).
- carbocation 17y ago
  There is a strong genetic component to hypertension (61% heritable) so I do not think it is fair to say that exercise and diet would cure it for most people. Perhaps the most sobering stat I learned in med school: Take everyone who is 55 years old and does not have hypertension. 90% of those individuals will ultimately go on to become hypertensive. In atypical fashion, I can actually source this: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/hbp_low/hbp_low.pdf http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/hbp_low/hbp...
Kutta 17y ago
It would help with some kinds of depression, somewhat help hypertension and obesity, but would not even remotely cure any of them. I'd name five factors that are strong promoters of a vast number of current widespread diseases: vitamin D deficiency, consuming grains, consuming too much Omega-6 vegetable oils, consuming too much fructose, consuming too little animal fat calories.
smackfu 17y ago
Right, but that's a great example. What if exercise helps because of something that is created as a side effect, and that in the future is available in pill form?
- frankus 17y ago
  Exercise probably does help because of a "side effect", namely reducing muscle insulin resistance. The direct effect of burning calories is too small (and too easily offset by increased appetite) to have much to do with weight regulation.
1053r 17y ago
In fact, there is good evidence that a few molecules are directly responsible for obesity. Fructose, ethanol, and galactose all increase appetite. http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2007/08/fructose-swee-1.html http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2007/08/fructose-swee-1... http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125848.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125848.php Appetite increases caloric consumption, which causes obesity over time. Exercise counteracts this effect. We are in some ways in a similar mess to the scurvy problem. We've known for years that the Japanese diet, the Mediterranean diet, exercise, and the Atkins diet all work to reduce weight. We know that high fructose corn syrup is bad. And we know that fat consumption has little to do with weight gain (see Atkins diet). But despite the preponderance of evidence, I continue to hear nonsense spouted by people with MDs about how a low fat diet is the best way to lose weight. And when I tell my friends, they are amazed at how quickly they lose weight with no work other than switching fructose for glucose in the diet.
- frankus 17y ago
  As you're no doubt aware, but your readers might not be, sucrose (table sugar) dissociates into its fructose and glucose halves pretty much as soon as it hits your stomach. So cutting back on, e.g. high fructose corn syrup (a roughly 50/50 mix of glucose and fructose) won't help if you're replacing it with sugar.

Of the four conditions he mentioned (depression, autism, hypertension, obesity), I don't suppose there is evidence to suggest that, I don't know, regular exercise would cure at least two?

chaosmachine 17y ago

But exercise doesn't come in convenient pill form.

warfangle 17y ago

At least three - in some people. Regular exercise has been shown[1] to reduce the signs of depression in some people (but, obviously, not others). From what I know of hypertension (not much), it's more of a disposition - if you treat yourself poorly, and you have a disposition towards it, you might develop it later in life. Exercise and diet, of course, are preventative - but not a cure; once you are diagnosed, it's like a warning sign from your body flashing "hey you, be careful, you're hurting me!" And it's not just regular exercise, a balanced diet is a must. If all you eat is corn (factory farmed meat; processed foods; just about everything cheap in the grocery store) - but you run on a treadmill 30 minutes a day - you're still going to put on weight. [1] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression-and-exercise/MH00043 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression-and-exercise/MH0...

wazoox 17y ago
I suffer from hypertension. I'm not currently fat and haven't been for some years, I run 35 km every week or more, but I still need the pills (with their nasty side-effects).
carbocation 17y ago
There is a strong genetic component to hypertension (61% heritable) so I do not think it is fair to say that exercise and diet would cure it for most people. Perhaps the most sobering stat I learned in med school: Take everyone who is 55 years old and does not have hypertension. 90% of those individuals will ultimately go on to become hypertensive. In atypical fashion, I can actually source this: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/hbp_low/hbp_low.pdf http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/hbp_low/hbp...

Kutta 17y ago

It would help with some kinds of depression, somewhat help hypertension and obesity, but would not even remotely cure any of them. I'd name five factors that are strong promoters of a vast number of current widespread diseases: vitamin D deficiency, consuming grains, consuming too much Omega-6 vegetable oils, consuming too much fructose, consuming too little animal fat calories.

smackfu 17y ago

Right, but that's a great example. What if exercise helps because of something that is created as a side effect, and that in the future is available in pill form?

frankus 17y ago
Exercise probably does help because of a "side effect", namely reducing muscle insulin resistance. The direct effect of burning calories is too small (and too easily offset by increased appetite) to have much to do with weight regulation.

1053r 17y ago

In fact, there is good evidence that a few molecules are directly responsible for obesity. Fructose, ethanol, and galactose all increase appetite. http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2007/08/fructose-swee-1.html http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2007/08/fructose-swee-1... http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125848.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125848.php Appetite increases caloric consumption, which causes obesity over time. Exercise counteracts this effect. We are in some ways in a similar mess to the scurvy problem. We've known for years that the Japanese diet, the Mediterranean diet, exercise, and the Atkins diet all work to reduce weight. We know that high fructose corn syrup is bad. And we know that fat consumption has little to do with weight gain (see Atkins diet). But despite the preponderance of evidence, I continue to hear nonsense spouted by people with MDs about how a low fat diet is the best way to lose weight. And when I tell my friends, they are amazed at how quickly they lose weight with no work other than switching fructose for glucose in the diet.

frankus 17y ago
As you're no doubt aware, but your readers might not be, sucrose (table sugar) dissociates into its fructose and glucose halves pretty much as soon as it hits your stomach. So cutting back on, e.g. high fructose corn syrup (a roughly 50/50 mix of glucose and fructose) won't help if you're replacing it with sugar.