![Did U of M Just Find a Pill to Replace Exercise?](https://townsquare.media/site/689/files/2020/01/RS1243_86504947.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Did U of M Just Find a Pill to Replace Exercise?
A University of Michigan made an exciting discovery that may be a health game changer.
What if you could take a pill that would give you some of the same health benefits as cardio or muscle training? Sounds like a sales pitch of a scam right? The University of Michigan is testing a protein that may change everything according to the Michigan Health Lab website,
Michigan Medicine researchers studying a class of naturally occurring protein called Sestrin have found that it can mimic many of exercise’s effects in flies and mice. The findings could eventually help scientists combat muscle wasting due to aging and other causes.
Basically, they are running flies on little fly treadmills. They found that flies that were given high levels of Sestrin that did not exercise had abilities "above and beyond" the trained flies. So, what abilities are they talking about?
The beneficial effects of Sestrin include more than just improved endurance. Mice without Sestrin lacked the improved aerobic capacity, improved respiration and fat burning typically associated with exercise.
I'm not sure how exercising flies can be directly connected to exercising humans...but you have my attention.
It's worth noting that the goal here isn't to make us even lazier. There are many cases where people cannot exercise due to disease, illness or injury. This could help keep those people healthy and prevent muscle atrophy in theory.
No word yet, on when testing on humans will begin.
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