Forget the gym: Scientists discover a hormone that gives you the same benefits as exercise without breaking a sweat
The MOTS-c hormone has so far been proven to work in mice
Clinical trials on humans could begin in three years, scientists say
It works by increasing insulin sensitivity which helps regulate blood sugar
It could lead to a pill that will tackle age-related diseases such as diabetes
By ELLIE ZOLFAGHARIFARD FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 20:56 EST, 4 March 2015 | UPDATED: 03:32 EST, 5 March 2015

If the thought of running on a treadmill makes you shudder, then you may soon have an excuse to avoid it altogether.
US researchers claim they have found a hormone that mimics the effects of exercise, allowing people to lose weight and regulate their blood sugar.
The hormone, dubbed MOTS-c, has been proven to work in mice and clinical trials on humans could begin in three years.

The discovery of MOTS-c - a molecule that acts as a signal for the body - was made by scientists at the University of Southern California.
MOTS-c works by increasing insulin sensitivity, allowing the body to more effectively process glucose sugars, researchers claim.

Insulin is a hormone that moves the sugars from food into the blood stream. Resistance to insulin can be triggered by a poor diet and may lead to type 2 diabetes.
The hormone mainly targets muscle tissue, where it restores insulin sensitivity, counteracting diet-induced and age-dependent insulin resistance.

'This represents a major advance in the identification of new treatments for age-related diseases such as diabetes,' said Pinchas Cohen,a researcher at the University of Southern California.

To test the effects of MOTS-c, the team injected the hormone into mice fed a high-fat diet, which typically causes them to grow obese and develop a resistance to insulin.

The injections not only suppressed both effects in mice, they also reversed age-dependent insulin-resistance, a condition that precedes diabetes.

'This discovery sheds new light on mitochondria and positions them as active regulators of metabolism,' said Changhan Lee, assistant professor at USC Davis and lead author of the study.
MOTS-c is unique among hormones in that it is encoded in the DNA of mitochondria - the 'powerhouses' of cells that convert food into energy.

Other hormones are encoded in DNA in the nucleus.
While all of the experiments on MOTS-c to date have been performed on lab mice, the molecular mechanisms that make it work in mice exist in all mammals, including humans.

The MOTS-c intellectual property has been licensed to a biotechnology company, and clinical trials in humans could begin within the next three years, researchers said.

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