Exercise is necessary for good health, but it can often feel like a chore.  A new study, published in the journal Chemistry & Biology, looks at how influencing an enzyme can impact skeletal muscle contraction and mimic exercise.  The enzyme is already known to play an important role in metabolism and energy homeostasis.  The enzyme is called AMP-activated protein kinase, or AMPK.

The research team is comprised of a group of scientists from the company Nestlé.  According to a press release from Nestlé, understanding this enzyme better could lead to the development of food and nutritional products that could emulate the effects of exercise on the body’s metabolism.  For individuals that have difficulty remaining active due to lifestyle, old age, disease, or disability, these products could help them get the benefits of exercise despite physical limitations.

Of course, mimicking AMPK is not going to solve all problems.  Exercise has numerous different effects, playing both a cognitive role and a physiological function.  The Head of Diabetes and Circadian Rhythms at the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences notes that it would be impossible to replace all of those effects with food or nutritional supplements.  However, there is an important gap that such products could fill.

The Mayo Clinic outlines some of the key benefits of regular exercise.  The most well known benefits are weight control and combating certain health conditions and diseases, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, and arthritis.  Exercise also helps improve mood, boost energy, promote better sleep, and improve one’s sex life.