Could a pill offer the same benefits as exercise?

It is well established that exercise is good for health. But would you still head to the gym if you could simply take a pill that produces some of the same benefits? According to a new report, such an option may not be too far off. Regular exercise can lower the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, as well as numerous other conditions. In July, Medical News Today reported on a study linking exercise in adolescence to reduced risk of cancer and all-cause mortality in women.
In the journal Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Ismail Laher, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and Shunchang Li, of Beijing Sport University in China, claim increased understanding of the molecular pathways by which exercise benefits the body means an "exercise pill" is feasible.  "Regular physical exercise activates a number of molecular pathways in whole organ systems and reduces the risk of developing numerous chronic diseases," the authors explain. "The signaling molecules activated by physical exercise are logically considered to be potent pharmacological targets for such exercise pills."
For their study, Laher and Li set out to review a number of exercise pills that are currently in development and investigate the challenges the creators of these drugs face.  One drug that could be an exercise-mimicking candidate is AICAR, which works by activating a protein called AMPK.
AMPK plays a key role in maintaining the body's energy balance, and it also interacts with PGC-1x - a protein that the researchers say "induces mitochondrial biogenesis and fiber-type transformation in skeletal muscles."
"Thus, treatment with AICAR activates AMPK, and AMPK then interacts, either directly or indirectly, with PGC-1x, inducing improved oxidative metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis, and fiber-type transformation in skeletal muscle," they explain.

Medical News Today

Could a pill offer the same benefits as exercise?

It is well established that exercise is good for health. But would you still head to the gym if you could simply take a pill that produces some of the same benefits? According to a new report, such an option may not be too far off. Regular exercise can lower the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, as well as numerous other conditions. In July, Medical News Today reported on a study linking exercise in adolescence to reduced risk of cancer and all-cause mortality in women. In the journal Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Ismail Laher, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and Shunchang Li, of Beijing Sport University in China, claim increased understanding of the molecular pathways by which exercise benefits the body means an exercise pill is feasible. Regular physical exercise activates a number of molecular pathways in whole organ systems and reduces the risk of developing numerous chronic diseases, the authors explain. The signaling molecules activated by physical exercise are logically considered to be potent pharmacological targets for such exercise pills. For their study, Laher and Li set out to review a number of exercise pills that are currently in development and investigate the challenges the creators of these drugs face. One drug that could be an exercise-mimicking candidate is AICAR, which works by activating a protein called AMPK. AMPK plays a key role in maintaining the bodys energy balance, and it also interacts with PGC-1x - a protein that the researchers say induces mitochondrial biogenesis and fiber-type transformation in skeletal muscles. Thus, treatment with AICAR activates AMPK, and AMPK then interacts, either directly or indirectly, with PGC-1x, inducing improved oxidative metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis, and fiber-type transformation in skeletal muscle, they explain. Medical News Today