A Pill to Replace the Gym?

A team of scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine are in the process of creating a new ‘exercise pill’ that could replace some of the benefits of exercise and revolutionise treatment for people that cannot partake in traditional exercise activities, a new study suggests.

While we would all love to skip leg day and replace our exercise with more time to relax, the study’s principal investigator says otherwise. “We cannot replace exercise; exercise is important on all levels,” says Bahaa Elgendy. “If I can exercise, I should go ahead and get the physical activity. But there are so many cases in which a substitute is needed.”

How does it work?

The St. Louis team has spent a decade creating a compound that mimics the benefits of exercise in the body. The compound, named SLU-PP-332, activates estrogen-related receptors, which regulate what impacts our muscles in exercise. These receptors are important for muscle growth and metabolism. When looking at the RNA of a rat heart muscle (RNA being present in all living cells), the compound prompted an increase in the presence of the RNA and optimised other desired functions, like low potential for toxicity and stability.

How can it help others?

While the average person can do with just a moderate amount of exercise in their lives, the release of this compound to the public would dramatically increase the health and wellbeing of people with weaker bodies and a  variety of prohibitive medical conditions, such as:

• Muscle atrophy
• Heart failure
• Neurodegenerative diseases e.g. dementia

A drug that can mimic the effects of exercise may potentially counter new weight-loss drugs that cause muscle and fat loss, Elgendy added.

While there are numerous benefits, there are a few drawbacks to the compound that people need to be aware of, even if the drug is only in the testing stages. For one, there are a lot of unknowns surrounding the long-term effects to human health, and there are also cost factors that could make the drug unapproachable, even to people with said conditions and problems. All in all, nothing can replace exercise, and SLU-PP-332 should NOT be a substitute unless it is needed.

When will it take shape?

For now, we don’t know when the pill will be released to the public, but there have been some positive tests on mice. When tested, the team found that it increased a muscle fiber that’s fatigue-resistant, and in turn the rodents improved their endurance when running on a treadmill. However, a lot more testing will be needed before human trials start, mainly testing the compounds on other mammals before humans.

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Sources
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/exercise-pill-study
https://nypost.com/2024/03/18/lifestyle/new-exercise-pill-could-replace-working-out-study
https://hwkfit.com/resources/hype-or-tripe-new-weight-loss-drug-slu-pp-332/
https://neurosciencenews.com/exercise-pill-neuroscience-25767/#:~:text=The%20compound%20SLU%2DPP%2D332,%2C%20disease%2C%20or%20other%20conditions.