- New pill developed at Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
- Scientists say they have replicated a compound that produces calcium.
- People who can’t exercise can use the pill to overcome “locomotor frailty.”
Experts in Japan say they have developed a pill that can bring about positive effects of exercise on people’s health without them having to exercise.
Researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) believe the drug may be as good for people’s muscles and bones as physical activity.
They say they have replicated a compound that produces calcium and induces muscle cell growth. Muscle is usually naturally developed and improved in adults through exercise.
While it’s true that many adults may choose physical activity and strength training to build muscle and maintain bone strength, some people who are older or otherwise bedridden cannot reap the benefits.
Therefore, for people who cannot exercise, this pill can be used to overcome “locomotor frailty”.
published in the magazine bone Research, The study says that the “exercise drug” can treat the weakness in movement (bones and muscles) of sedentary people.
TMDU researchers discovered the tissue-augmenting aminoindazole derivative compound locamidazole, also known as LAMZ.
They reproduced the drug and tested it on mice and now they are hopeful that the drug will promote bone formation in frail people.
In addition to forming bone cells called osteoblasts, LAMZ was found to be able to “suppress the growth of bone resorbing cells, osteoclasts.”
To the pleasant surprise of the scientist, no side effects were found in the mice.
“We found that LAMZ-treated mice displayed increased muscle fiber width, increased maximal muscle strength, increased rate of bone formation, and decreased bone resorption activity,” said lead author Takehito Ono.
The authors warned that long periods of time without physical activity can cause a serious weakening of the muscles called sarcopenia and of the bones called osteoporosis.
The drug has not yet been tested in humans, so it is unclear when it will be available to patients who need it.
