「運動藥丸」有望取代健身房

想健身卻懶得動？今後一粒藥丸就能幫你！科學家表示，他們有望研製出一種能幫你長肌肉，同時遠離肥胖的藥物。這種藥物還能幫助人們治療肌肉萎縮疾病，以及心血管功能異常。

An 「exercise pill」 that could reduce the need for visits to the gym is a step closer, say scientists. 科學家稱，他們離製造出「運動藥丸」從而減少人們前往健身房次數的目標更進一步。

A study found that suppressing production of the protein myostatin increased muscle mass. 一項研究發現，阻止肌肉生長抑制蛋白的生成可以提升肌肉質量。

Although the research was conducted in mice, the team hopes it will lead to human treatments. 儘管這一實驗還停留在試驗小白鼠的階段，科研團隊希望後續能夠用於人類治療。

Lead researcher Dr Joshua Butcher, from Augusta University in Georgia, US, said: "Ultimately, the goal of our research would be to create a pill that mimics the effect of exercise and protects against obesity. 來自美國喬治尼亞州奧古斯塔大學的首席研究員約書亞•布徹博士說：「我們實驗的最終目的是創造出一種藥物，擁有和運動一樣的功效並且可以預防肥胖症。」

"A pill that inhibits myostatin could also have applications for muscle-wasting diseases, such as cancer, muscle dystrophy and AIDS, Myostatin is known to be a powerful "brake" that holds back skeletal muscle growth." 「阻止肌肉抑制素生成的藥物同時也可以用於治療肌肉萎縮類疾病，比如癌症、肌肉萎縮病還有艾滋病。肌肉抑制素廣為人知的作用就是有效抑制骨骼肌的生長。」

Studies suggest that obese people produce more of the protein, making it harder for them to exercise and build up muscle. 研究表明，肥胖的人會產生更多肌肉生長抑制素這種蛋白質，這讓他們更難進行運動和增肌。

"Given that exercise is one of the most effective interventions for obesity, this creates a cycle by which a person becomes trapped in obesity," said Dr Butcher. 布徹博士說：「而運動又是防止肥胖的最有效方式之一，這就導致肥胖的人陷入惡性循環。」

The researchers bred four groups of lean and obese mice that were genetically programmed either to produce uninhibited levels of myostatin or to be completely lacking in the protein. 研究人員飼養了四組瘦弱和肥胖的小白鼠，其基因設定分別為無限制釋放肌肉抑制素和完全不釋放肌肉抑制素。

As expected, mice with no myostatin became markedly more muscular. 同預期一樣，體內不釋放肌肉抑制素的小白鼠明顯肌肉更強壯。

Obese mice unable to produce myostatin remained fat, but they were also stronger and showed markers of heart and metabolic health on a par with their lean counterparts. 那些不能釋放肌肉抑制素的肥胖小白鼠依然保持肥胖，但同時也變得更加強壯。與瘦弱的對照小白鼠相比，它們的心臟和新陳代謝表現的更加健康。

They were in dramatically better shape than obese mice with unrestricted myostatin production. 與那些無限釋放肌肉抑制素的小白鼠相比，這些小白鼠的體型要健康得多，這令人驚訝。

Dr Butcher added: "In our muscular obese mouse, despite full presentation of obesity, it appears that several of these key pathologies are prevented. 布徹博士補充道：「這些肌肉發達卻肥胖的小白鼠，儘管依然表現出肥胖的癥狀，但一些關鍵的病理癥狀沒有發生。」

"While much more research is needed, at this point myostatin appears to be a very promising pathway for protection against obesity-derived cardiometabolic dysfunction." 「雖然還需進行大量研究，但目前看來，肌肉抑制素似乎對於治療由肥胖導致的心血管功能異常很有幫助。」

The research was presented at the American Physiological Society's annual meeting, Experimental Biology 2017, in Chicago, US. 該研究在美國芝加哥舉辦的美國生理學協會2017年實驗生物學年會上作了報告。

英文來源：鏡報翻譯：王藝澄（日報網愛新聞iNews譯者）編審：yaning