Take a pill instead of working out.

• Position: Your Life - Brief article

The Western world has experienced an alarming increase in obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in recent years. Medical personnel believe a sedentary lifestyle, combined with a diet filled with high-calorie, processed foods is responsible for this epidemic.

Traditionally, doctors recommend proper nutrition, portion control, and regular exercise to treat these conditions. Now, researchers at Australia's Deakin Medical School are developing a pill designed to mimic the benefits of exercise on the metabolic system. The drug works through epigenetics--activating certain genes that are involved with the body's metabolism.

'The drug stimulates the body on a cellular level, increasing metabolic rate and increasing cell sensitivity to insulin and the breakdown of glucose," explains physician Robert Drapkin, board certified in internal medicine...