Exercise in a pill: have scientists really found a drug that’s as good for you as a 10km run?

Aarhus University in Denmark announced a drug called LaKe brings the body into a metabolic state corresponding to running 10km at high speed on an empty stomach’ The most commonly accepted term for drugs like LaKe is mimetics’, because what they do is mimic the biological effects of working out without the need to actually break a sweat.

The idea has been around for a while: in 2008 , San Diego’s Salk Institute introduced the world to a drug.

GW501516 ( 516 for short) which signals key genes to burn fat instead of sugar, helping rodent test subjects run for longer.

They might help people recovering from surgery or astronauts who, even if they work out while in orbit, suffer bone loss and muscle wastage because their bodies work less hard in microgravity. For the rest of us, the benefits of a gentle walk or a handful of squats are tough to mimic with pills, and (reasonably) easy to get without them. One day , perhaps we’ll be able to take our exercise in pill form but right now, it’s much easier to hit the road..