For the study the researchers examined almost 1,000 molecular changes that occur in the body during exercise.
Advertisement
The experiment was done on four healthy males, undergoing a muscle biopsy before riding exercise bicycles as hard as they can for 10 minutes.
“We have recognized the need for exercise pills for a few time, and this is an achievable goal based on our improved understanding of the molecular targets of physical exercise”, study co-author Ismail Laher at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics said in a press release. The blueprint is incredibly complex and because no single drug could safely mimic all 1,000 effects of exercising, the scientists must identify the most significant biological changes before they can start to create the pill.
In spite of the fact that two of the primary focuses of the medication may be fortifying muscles and bringing down cholesterol, the pill won’t give you those vibe great endorphins that originate from an anxiety busting sprint around your nearby stop.
“I want to be clear that really there is no way to replace routine exercise with an exercise pill”, Laher explained in an interview with The Washington Post.
Most of the current work on developing an exercise pill is in the experimental phases right now, with tests being done on lab animals, but one such drug has shown up on the black market as a purported performance enhancer for athletes. “Exercise requires your heart rate to go up, blood to flow faster, and you can not do that with an exercise pill… but in particular groups, it’s the next best thing”.
Leher reminds us that exercise also effects bone strength, insulin sensitivity and cognitive abilities.
“Remarkably… exercise pills are still at the starting line and have a long road ahead before they gain clinical application”.
Advertisement
The elderly, those who are still undergoing treatment and those who are on their healing process can surely benefit from the pill.
