New research shows that in the not-so-distant future, taking a pill could provide people with similar cellular effects of exercise. Head below to learn more.
During the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), researchers presented new chemical compounds that seem to be capable of providing similar benefits to a workout.
The chemicals could parallel the effect of exercise on our metabolism and muscle cell growth, which would then offset muscle atrophy and varying weaknesses in people who are unable to exercise for medical reasons, for people who are aging, or for people who have a disease that causes muscle wasting.
Bahaa Elgendy, study author and professor of anesthesiology at Washing University School of Medicine in St. Louis:
We all know that exercise is super-beneficial for the body and mind, but not everyone can exercise. Many people cannot exercise and that’s why having an exercise in a pill could be super-beneficial to mimic or enhance the effects of exercise for people who are aging, for people with certain diseases or who are facing some muscle loss using some other drugs.
When we exercise, certain metabolic changes in our muscles are activated that produce proteins called estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) that come in three categories: ERRα, ERRβ, and ERRγ. Elgendy and his team developed a compound – called SLU-PP-332 – that is capable of activating all three ERR types, therefore imitating the effects of working out on these particular proteins.
The researchers experimented with this compound on mice and found that rodents given SLU-PP-332 had increased fatigue-resistant muscles and improved endurance when exercising on treadmills, allowing them to run 70% longer and 45% further than the mice not receiving the drug. Upon further research, the scientists created new chemical compounds that were more effective than SLU-PP-332, which they then optimized for stability and a low potential for toxicity (via Newsweek).
Elgendy on potential benefits of the compound:
Again, I’m not promoting replacing exercise or anything, but at least for people who are lazy like myself, they can benefit from these drugs. It has always been heartbreaking for me to see especially kids who cannot move and who cannot move properly and who suffer from Duchenne muscle dystrophy and all of these diseases, horrible diseases, and you see the kids and you see their families and it’s heartbreaking. I’m not 100 percent sure that this could be a cure for these diseases, but this could at least help some people, some kids, some adults to improve the quality of life.
Connect the Watts’ Take
If there was a pill that people could take that would improve their muscle strength, allow them to have more range of motion, and generally live a happier, healthier life, I am all for it. I think it’s incredibly exciting that we are in a place scientifically where this type of pill is even possible. If I were a betting woman (which I am not), I would put big money into having access to an exercise pill within the next 10 years. People will, of course, abuse it and use it to replace actual exercise, but if it can make people healthier and happier? We love to see it.
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