A New 'Exercise Pill' Can Make You Fit Without Really Working Out

Who wouldn't want to get in shape without sweating it out? Finally, it seems like there may be a way to do so. Fitness is something we relate to working out and exercising regularly but in the world of modern medicine and technology anything is possible. A group of scientists from the Salk Institute in the United States have developed a new drug, also being named as the 'exercise-in-a-pill', that give you the benefits of doing aerobic exercises. Sounds strange? It's true! According to the researchers, the pill works wonders for people who are diabetic and also for older adults for whom regular exercise is critical but it is also difficult for them to adhere to a strict workout plan.  The new pill promises to offer the benefits of doing aerobic exercises which can long been considered as a great way to stay active and keep your joints and muscles healthy at every age. Previous research around the same theme identified a particular gene pathway that is triggered by running and building on the same body of work, the team has now discovered a way to fully activate that pathway. The experiments were conducted in mice model who were injected with a chemical compound that mimics the benefits of exercises such as fat burning and increased stamina. For the study, researchers gave normal mice a higher dose of a chemical compound called GW1516 (GW) for 8 weeks. Both the mice that received the compound and mice that did not get it were typically sedentary, but all were subjected to treadmill tests to see how long they could run until exhausted.
 
Mice in the control group ran for 160 minutes till they were completely exhausted while mice on the drug could run for about 270 minutes which is 70% longer. Besides having more endurance, mice who were given the drug were resistant to weight gain and more responsive to insulin. Researchers believe that the key understanding from the study and the development of the pill can help people it diabetes, heart disease and other disease build aerobic endurance while training. This simply means that people can have better ability to sustain aerobic activities for a longer period of time. As these people become more fit, their muscles shift from burning carbohydrates (glucose) to burning fat. Researchers conclude that building on this endurance, people may be able to burn fat quicker. They hope to create various therapeutic uses of the prescription drug that can be made with this chemical compound.