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CNN Live At Daybreak
Pop a Pill, Boost Your Metabolism
Aired August 06, 2003 - 06:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Pop a pill, boost your metabolism, lose weight. It sounds like a cheesy infomercial, but it could be true, and it could lead to a new, slimmer you.
Live to New York and Dietwatch.com's nutritionist Lisa Drayer.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So tell us about this pill.
DRAYER: Yes, well, actually, researchers at Bristol Myers Squibb did an experiment. They took monkeys and what they did was they stimulated a specific thyroid receptor. The thyroid is involved in metabolism. They stimulated it with a chemical known as KB141 and what they found was that the monkeys had a boost in metabolism and lost seven percent of their body weight, about an average of 10 pounds, in less than a week.
But they didn't have the negative side effects that are often seen with stimulant-based medications, for example, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure.
So it's very exciting news. The pill isn't out there yet, but there will be more research on this. So it's something we may be able to look forward to.
COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask you where can we get the pill, but we can't even get it yet.
DRAYER: We can't get it yet. They're still in the research and development stages. But it is very promising and very exciting.
COSTELLO: Now, I have heard you can eat certain foods, though, to boost your metabolism, like spicy foods. Is that true?
DRAYER: You know, in fact we tend to hear that all the time, you know, what about hot chili peppers? The truth is these foods won't have a significant impact on metabolism. However, if you add spices to foods, you're not going to add calories, but you'll boost flavor. So definitely add your spices, but don't count on it to help you lose weight.
COSTELLO: The only thing you can really do to boost your metabolism is, what, exercise, right? DRAYER: Exercise, adding weights in particular. The reason is, Carol, weights help us to build muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat. This means that even if we're sitting all day, the more muscle we have, the more calories we'll burn. And this is particularly important since we tend to lose muscle mass with age.
COSTELLO: And I see on your metabolism tips you say to avoid skipping meals.
DRAYER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Why would that boost your metabolism?
DRAYER: This is a metabolic no-no. Actually, your body, when it doesn't get enough food, it thinks that it's starving. It slows down. Skipping breakfast has been shown to be particularly problematic in terms of increasing the risks of becoming overweight. Now, it may not sound intuitive, but eating actually helps you to burn calories. That is, it takes energy to digest food. And a recent study just showed that the more frequently people ate, that is, the greater the number of eating occasions, the lower the risk of obesity.
COSTELLO: OK, so we'll keep that in mind. So all of you working on your treadmill, keep that in mind and that pill, KB141, won't be available for quite some time.
DRAYER: No.
COSTELLO: Lisa Drayer live from New York, many thanks.
DRAYER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 6, 2003 - 06:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Pop a pill, boost your metabolism, lose weight. It sounds like a cheesy infomercial, but it could be true, and it could lead to a new, slimmer you.
Live to New York and Dietwatch.com's nutritionist Lisa Drayer.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: So tell us about this pill.
DRAYER: Yes, well, actually, researchers at Bristol Myers Squibb did an experiment. They took monkeys and what they did was they stimulated a specific thyroid receptor. The thyroid is involved in metabolism. They stimulated it with a chemical known as KB141 and what they found was that the monkeys had a boost in metabolism and lost seven percent of their body weight, about an average of 10 pounds, in less than a week.
But they didn't have the negative side effects that are often seen with stimulant-based medications, for example, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure.
So it's very exciting news. The pill isn't out there yet, but there will be more research on this. So it's something we may be able to look forward to.
COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask you where can we get the pill, but we can't even get it yet.
DRAYER: We can't get it yet. They're still in the research and development stages. But it is very promising and very exciting.
COSTELLO: Now, I have heard you can eat certain foods, though, to boost your metabolism, like spicy foods. Is that true?
DRAYER: You know, in fact we tend to hear that all the time, you know, what about hot chili peppers? The truth is these foods won't have a significant impact on metabolism. However, if you add spices to foods, you're not going to add calories, but you'll boost flavor. So definitely add your spices, but don't count on it to help you lose weight.
COSTELLO: The only thing you can really do to boost your metabolism is, what, exercise, right? DRAYER: Exercise, adding weights in particular. The reason is, Carol, weights help us to build muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat. This means that even if we're sitting all day, the more muscle we have, the more calories we'll burn. And this is particularly important since we tend to lose muscle mass with age.
COSTELLO: And I see on your metabolism tips you say to avoid skipping meals.
DRAYER: Yes.
COSTELLO: Why would that boost your metabolism?
DRAYER: This is a metabolic no-no. Actually, your body, when it doesn't get enough food, it thinks that it's starving. It slows down. Skipping breakfast has been shown to be particularly problematic in terms of increasing the risks of becoming overweight. Now, it may not sound intuitive, but eating actually helps you to burn calories. That is, it takes energy to digest food. And a recent study just showed that the more frequently people ate, that is, the greater the number of eating occasions, the lower the risk of obesity.
COSTELLO: OK, so we'll keep that in mind. So all of you working on your treadmill, keep that in mind and that pill, KB141, won't be available for quite some time.
DRAYER: No.
COSTELLO: Lisa Drayer live from New York, many thanks.
DRAYER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
