The drug could be used to reduce the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, strokes, and heart disease
Remember when we all got off our bums for couch-to-5k? Well, I imagine a future trend may be couch-on-10k.
That is because of an incredible drug that has been developed that mimics the effects of running a 10k without the need of putting any effort in at all.
Will the new trend be burning calories while lay on the couch? (Getty stock)
As incredible as it sounds, it does make you think the creators of WALL-E summed up humans perfectly – with the show depicting incredibly lazy humans in the year 2805 glued to screens on floating sun beds without the need to ever use their legs.
Researchers in Denmark created a drug, which they’ve named LaKe, which could help reduce the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, strokes, and heart disease.
It was developed by scientists Rasmus N. Ottosen, Jacob M. Seefeldt, Jakob Hansen, Roni Nielsen, Niels Møller, Mogens Johannsen and Thomas B. Poulsen, of Aarhus University, in Central Denmark.
The study was published in ACS (American Chemical Society) Publications’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Speaking with the New York Post, Dr Thomas Poulsen, a chemist who led the project, said: “We’ve developed a molecule that can mimic the body’s natural metabolic response to strenuous exercise and fasting.
“In practice, the molecule brings the body into a metabolic state corresponding to running 10 kilometers at high speed on an empty stomach.”
So far, the drug has been tested on lab rats, and researchers have recorded that toxins have been flushed out of the rodents’ bodies while their hearts have strengthened.
But back onto the hypothetical scenario of the drug bringing the body into a metabolic state corresponding to running 10 kilometers at high speed on an empty stomach, as Poulsen said.
After exercising, our bodies usually enter a period of inflammation where lactate and ketones levels, alternative fuels to provide energy to the brain and preserve glucose for other critical metabolic needs, spike.
But that isn’t the only thing that happens within the body; the drug then prevents you from getting hungry, as it triggers the body’s release of appetite-suppressing hormones.
Will there be no need to run in the future other than for the pure ‘fun’ of it? (Getty stock)
Which in turn pushes fatty acids from your bloodstream – which is why the LaKe could help reduce the conditions mentioned earlier.
Poulsen added: “It can be difficult to maintain motivation to run many kilometers at high speed and go without food.
“For people with physical ailments, such as a weak heart or general weakness, a nutritional supplement can be the key to better recovery.”
Human trials are expected to go ahead soon.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
