Condensing a workout into a single pill has long been a pipe dream for medical scientists.
But now researchers in Denmark say this vision has come one step closer to reality, with the invention of a promising new drug.
It mimics the effect of exercising without the user moving a muscle, removing toxins from the cells and strengthening the heart.
In a study with rats, researchers said the drug caused the same health benefits as running 10 kilometers at high speeds.
The new drug produces the same health benefits as running 10 km at high speeds (stock)
Dr Thomas Poulsen, a chemist at Aarhus University who led the research, added: “It can be difficult to maintain motivation to run many kilometers at high speed and go without eating.”
“For people with physical ailments, such as a weak heart or general weakness, a nutritional supplement may be the key to better recovery.”
After exercise, the body typically enters a state of inflammation with elevated levels of lactate and ketones.
When these substances are high, hunger-suppressing chemicals are released and fatty acids are removed from the blood, which are linked to diabetes, cancer and dementia.
Lactate is released after exercise and maintains a healthy metabolism, while the liver produces ketones when the body breaks down fat for energy, such as during fasting, long periods of exercise, or when there are not enough carbohydrates.
The researchers said the new drug, currently called LaKe, can “artificially control the amounts of lactate and ketones safely.”
The drug is now moving into human trials to test whether it is safe, before its effects can also be assessed in humans.
If successful, the molecule could become a supplement for human consumption.
But scientists warn that it will probably be years before it is available.
Dr Poulsen added: “We have developed a molecule that can mimic the body’s natural metabolic response to strenuous exercise and fasting.
“In practice, the molecule brings the body to a metabolic state equivalent to running 10 kilometers at high speed on an empty stomach.”
He added: “When blood lactate and ketone levels increase, the production of an appetite suppressing hormone increases and the level of free fatty acids in the blood decreases.
“This has a number of health benefits, for example, it reduces the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (a group of diseases that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes).”
This causes damage to cells, but also activates the body’s repair systems, improving overall health.
Their study was published in the Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.