We all know exercise is good for us. It builds muscle, strengthens bones, lowers blood pressure, and boosts mood. By deciphering how movement benefits the body, researchers hope to develop medicines that can offer some of the same perks—without the workout. The idea isn’t to replace exercise but to bring its upsides to people who struggle with frailty, disability, or chronic illness. 

It will take a lot of experimentation to untangle the myriad pathways by which exercise promotes health. But IDing the cascade of hormones, enzymes, and other molecules related to physical activity is just the first step. Scientists need to figure out how to turn that knowledge into safe and effective drugs. That’s a tall order: More than 90% of treatments that enter human studies fail.

There are regulatory hurdles too. The FDA approves medications to treat diseases, not to enhance wellness, says Thomas Burris, a pharmacologist at the University of Florida whose work focuses on diseases that respond to exercise, like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dementia.

There may never be a pill that delivers all the benefits of exercise, but research could lead to new medicines that mimic some aspects of working out. Scientists have already identified many important exercise-related signals and have even developed compounds to regulate them. (Some preliminary results have been so promising that doping authorities have proactively banned the compounds.) 

Burris and his colleagues are focused on a receptor that’s always switched on, even without exercise. Working out appears to boost that receptor in muscle cells, which in turn helps bolster endurance over time.

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