Scientists have designed a new drug that mimics all the benefits of rigorous exercise

Scientists have successfully tested a new drug that can mimic the benefits of a rigorous workout.

The team from the University of Florida in the US tested the drug on obese mice, managing to boost their metabolism and increase muscle gain and weight loss.

Exercising regularly can have a major positive impact on your health, with proven benefits for people with cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and certain cancers.

In addition, physical activity has also been linked to a better condition of the brain with lower risks of stress, depression, or dementia according to the UK National Health Service (NHS).

Regarding how much we should exercise, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends between 2.5 and 5 hours per week of moderately intense activity.

Unfortunately, 25 per cent of adults and 80 per cent of adolescents don’t meet these recommendations.

In order to reap the rewards of physical activity, scientists have for years looked for ways to replicate even just a fraction of these health benefits - and it appears they may have succeeded.

The team led by Thomas Burris from the University of Florida tested this new drug - a molecule called SLU-PP-332 - for 28 days and published their results in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

The drug is part of a proposed class of treatments Known as "exercise mimetics" which imitate the physiological adaptations associated with physical activities.

"This compound is basically telling skeletal muscle to make the same changes you see during endurance training," said Burris, a professor of pharmacy.

Scientists observed that the mice in the trial increased their energy expenditure - meaning they burned more calories - without any change of habits.

The mice also