'Give fat people endurance drugs to make them exercise': So-called 'doping for lazy people' could be the solution to the obesity crisis, academic claims

Samuele Marcora is from Kent Uni's School of Sport and Exercise Sciences
Says perceived effort is one of the barriers to many people being active
Physical inactivity is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity
Hopes his 'drastic' suggestion will be considered fairly and seriously'
By Madlen Davies for MailOnline

Published: 12:46, 4 November 2015 | Updated: 00:45, 5 November 2015

Many of us would like to go to the gym but admit we can't be bothered.

Now, one academic has come up with a radical new solution.

Endurance drugs should be given to overweight people to encourage them to exercise, says Professor Samuele Marcora, Director of Research at the University of Kent's School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

In a move being described as 'doping for lazy people' he advocates using caffeine and psychoactive drugs to help people stick to their fitness plans.

Endurance drugs should be given to overweight people to encourage them to exercise, an academic says
As physical inactivity is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity, he urges health professionals to take his suggestions seriously.

Professor Marcora says that, along with lack of time, perceived physical exertion is one of the main perceived barriers to exercise.

This is not surprising because humans evolved to be 'lazy', an adaptation which allowed them to conserve energy.

He suggests using drugs such as caffeine, methylphenidate and modafinil, to reduce perception of effort during exercise

Methylphenidate and modafinil normally treat ADHS or narcolepsy - and are also used off-label as 'smart drugs'.

He says he acknowledges that such a step is 'drastic and controversial', but points out that perception of effort is one of the main reasons why most people choose sedentary activities for their leisure time.

Finding a way that makes people with very low motivation to do even moderate exercise, like walking, could be vital in preventing obesity, Professor Samuele Marcola, of the University of Kent said (file pic)
Compared to watching television, which requires zero physical effort, even moderate-intensity physical activities like walking require considerable effort.

Finding a way that makes people with very low motivation to do even moderate exercise, like walking, could be particularly useful, he said.

Similarly, a reduction in perception of effort would be very helpful to the many people who find exercise difficult because they are overweight or exercise after work in a state of mental fatigue.

Professor Marcora added that psychoactive drugs including nicotine and appetite suppressants are already used to help people quit smoking or treat obesity.

However, he is concerned the negative perception of doping in sport may prevent the use of stimulants and other psychoactive drugs to treat physical inactivity.

He said: 'Given that physical inactivity is responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity, I hope that psychopharmacological treatment for physical inactivity will be considered fairly and seriously rather than immediately rejected on the basis of unrelated ethical considerations about doping in sport.'

Professor Marcora's paper, 'Can Doping be a Good Thing? Using Psychoactive Drugs to Facilitate Physical Activity Behaviour', has been published in the journal Sports Medicine.

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