Working out and exercising are great ways to help build up your body and push various processes within it in the direction they need to go. However, getting everyone up and exercising the way they need to isn’t always easy. That’s why scientists are working to develop a workout pill that mimics the effects of exercise on the body.
Now, I know how this sounds. But this isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumblings of an exercise pill that can mimic the benefits exercise gives the body. However, this latest research relies more on the effects that exercise and fasting have on your body.
The workout pill does this by essentially increasing the level of natural metabolic response within your body to be similar to that of strenuous exercising and even fasting. Both of these things cause your body to see increased levels of lactates and ketones, which your body uses to fuel itself.
It does this by using a molecule called LaKe, which mimics those effects dramatically. LaKe is essentially a chemical fusion between lactate and ketones, and it can help bring your body’s metabolic state up to something corresponding to what it would be after running 10 kilometers at a high speed on an empty stomach.
This, of course, would help lower the level of fats in the blood while also increasing the production of an appetite-suppressing hormone. It’s impossible to achieve this same balance through diet alone, a professor told The Sun, at least without also causing a buildup of undesirable salts and acid—something the workout pill doesn’t do.
Thus far, the pill has only been tested openly on rats. However, with the trials looking so promising, it shouldn’t take too long for us to see clinical trials moving to human patients, too. However, exactly who this pill will benefit most—patients who can’t exercise or just people looking to be lazy and replace exercise with an easier option—is still up in the air.