EXERCISE PILL FOR COUCH POTATOES!
IT’S the news couch potatoes have been waiting for — scientists are getting closer to developing a pill that offers the same health benefits as sweating it out at a gym! Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine have discovered a drug that appears to mimic the many benefits of physical activity. Doctors have long prescribed exercise as a key way to improve health, so a pill that can replicate that ability to enhance muscle cells’ metabolism and growth and improve their performance would be a major medical breakthrough. “Exercise is important on all levels,” cautions lead researcher Bahaa Elgendy. “If you can exercise, you should go ahead and get the physical activity. But there are so many cases in which a substitute is needed.” In other words, SLUPP-332 is not meant for healthy people who don’t like to work out or who don’t have time, but it could be life-changing for the millions of Americans who are unable to due to aging, illness or disability. It’s also thought it may be able to mitigate the muscle loss associated with taking drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. The metabolic changes associated with exercise are activated by specialized proteins known as estrogenrelated receptors (ERRs). The team engineered new molecules that interact effectively with ERRs, and also were more stable and less toxic. In experiments with mice, the team found the SLU-PP-332 compound increased a fatigueresistant type of muscle fiber while improving their endurance during exercise. The next step is further tests in animal models, with the hope they lead to developing treatments for a variety of disorders.