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Everyone knows that exercise improves health, and ongoing research continues to uncover increasingly detailed information on its benefits for metabolism, circulation, and improved functioning of organs such as the heart, brain, and liver. With this knowledge in hand, scientists may be better equipped to develop "exercise pills" that could mimic at least some of the beneficial effects of physical exercise on the body. But a review of current development efforts, publishing October 2 in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, ponders whether such pills will achieve their potential therapeutic impact, at least in the near future.
"We have recognized the need for exercise pills for some time, and this is an achievable goal based on our improved understanding of the molecular targets of physical exercise," says coauthor Ismail Laher, of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Several laboratories are developing exercise pills, which at this early stage are being tested in animals to primarily target skeletal muscle performance and improve strength and energy use—essentially producing stronger and faster muscles. But of course the benefits of exercise are far greater than its effects on only muscles.
Couch potatoes would rejoice, of course, but exercise pills could also benefit the bed-ridden or astronauts who spend extended periods in microgravity.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by RamiK on Sunday October 04 2015, @08:26AM
http://www.cell.com/trends/pharmacological-sciences/pdf/S0165-6147%2815%2900187-X.pdf [cell.com]
The easiest way to identify working "exercise pills" is to look up the average muscle-to-fat ratios of beef on the market. When skeletal-muscle targeting drug works, it ends up being abused by farmers years before it even hits human trials.
Also, as the study hints regarding GW501516, getting closer to market release, you'll start seeing doping incidents and record breaking in sports. Though it's still no indication of the safety over long term usage so it could still fail in late stage clinical trials.
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(Score: 3, Funny) by maxwell demon on Sunday October 04 2015, @05:33PM
And due to residues of it in the meat, that meat will soon be considered especially healthy. ;-)
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 3, Informative) by RamiK on Sunday October 04 2015, @06:00PM
Soon? http://scienceblogs.com/aetiology/2012/06/19/growth-hormones-in-milk-mythfact/ [scienceblogs.com]
Coincidently, lifters are recommended milk by the gallon specifically because of IGF-1.
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