Researcher Working on Exercise Pill to Suppress Myostatin

A research team in Georgia is looking at ways to create a pill that mimics the effects of exercise to help battle obesity, the Independent reported.

Scientists from Augusta University conducted research on obese mice where they inhibited the production of the protein myostatin, a hormone that regulates muscle growth negatively. 

According to the Independent, studies suggest obese people produce more of the protein. In the study, mice with no myostatin became more muscular.

Joshua T. Butcher, a postdoctoral fellow at the Vascular Biology Center at Augusta University who discussed his findings at the American Physiological Society's annual meeting in Chicago in late April, said the goal of his team's research would be to "create a pill that mimics the effect of exercise and protects against obesity."

"A pill that inhibits myostatin could also have applications for muscle-wasting diseases, such as cancer, muscle dystrophy, and AIDS," he added. "While much more research is needed, at this point myostatin appears to be a very promising pathway for protection against obesity-derived cardiometabolic dysfunction."

• Scientists Experiment Storing Data With 'DNA Fountain'
• Thousands Join March for Science to Fight 'Alternative Facts'