‘Exercise in a bottle,’ scientists working on pill that mimics effects of working out

A couch potato’s dream — a magic pill that could mimic the benefits of exercising without ever having to leave the couch could soon be a reality. 

Australian scientists have carried out “breakthrough” research, mapping out the 1,000 molecular changes in the body induced by exercise, and could soon use that research to create such a drug, The Daily Mail reported. 

“Exercise is the most powerful therapy for many human diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders,” lead researcher David James, a professor at the University of Sydney told The Daily Mail. “However, for many people exercise isn’t a viable option. This means it is essential we find ways of developing drugs that mimic the benefits of exercise.” 

Researchers analyzed biopsied skeletal muscle from four untrained, healthy males, following ten minutes of high intensity exercise. 

Using an analytical chemistry technique called mass spectrometry, they studied a process called protein phosphorylation. 

Protein phosphorylation is the attachment of a phosphate group to a protein.

The new phosphorus group alters the role of the protein: it can activate, deactivate, or cause a change in its function, allowing cells to regulate biological processes.

The researchers found short, intensive exercise triggers more than 1,000 changes in the body, The Daily Mail reported. 

Many of the molecular changes they discovered had not been linked to exercise. 

Most traditional drugs target individual molecules, rather than multiple ones. The new exercise blueprint the scientists created shows that an exercise drug will need to target multiple molecules and even pathways in the body. 

“We believe this is the key to unlocking the riddle of drug treatments to mimic exercise,” Mr. James said, the Daily Mail reported.