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New ‘exercise pill’ could offer the benefit of the gym without the effort

Ronald Evans of the Salk institute (Bloomberg)
Ronald Evans of the Salk institute (Bloomberg)

It’s the news couch potatoes have been waiting for: instead of sweating for hours down the gym, could swallowing a pill give you the same effect?

Several labs around the world are closing in on drugs which can do this, according to the Washington Post.

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California are researching a compound, ‘516’ which mimics the effects of exercise by triggering a genetic circuit.

Ronald Evans of the Salk Institute says, ‘Our goal is to understand these circuits.

‘Exercise pill’ could trick blood vessels into thinking you’re working out
‘Exercise pill’ could trick blood vessels into thinking you’re working out

‘We are taking this concept and trying to develop a drug that can help us game the system that is naturally activated during exercise.’

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‘There are many reasons why people cannot run or walk or exercise,” Evans says. “If you can bring them a small molecule that can convey the benefits of training, you can really help a lot of people.’

Up to eight different drugs are in development, previous reports by Beijing Sport University in China have suggested.

Some encourage growth of muscle fibre and others encourage the growth of blood vessels.