Taking a weekly low dose of a drug called rapamycin while doing a 13-week home exercise program might help older adults (65–85 years old) get stronger legs — but we’re not totally sure how much it...

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A single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, two-arm study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of once-weekly sirolimus (rapamycin) on muscle strength and endurance in older adults following a 13-week exercise program

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2024 Oct 1

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

A single-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, two-arm study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of once-weekly sirolimus (rapamycin) on muscle strength and endurance in older adults following a 13-week exercise program

Score: 62

DOI: 10.1186/s13063-024-08490-2

Similar Assertions

In older adults who don't move much, taking a weekly rapamycin pill might slightly weaken the benefits of a 13-week home exercise program on leg strength and mobility, according to some detailed number crunching—even though the main results weren't clear-cut.

90%

Older adults taking a weekly 6 mg dose of sirolimus while exercising for 13 weeks may have more side effects overall than those taking a fake pill, including a serious lung infection like pneumonia, even though about the same number of people had side effects in both groups.

80%

Sirolimus stays in your body for a long time—about 2.5 days—so even if you take it just once a week, it might still be active when you work out again.

79%

Taking a weekly 6 mg dose of sirolimus seems to be safe for older adults (65–85 years old) if they also do light home exercises for 13 weeks — most side effects were caught through check-ups and self-reports, but the study was too small to catch very rare ones.

78%

Doing strength and cardio exercises at home for 13 weeks helps older adults (65–85) get stronger in their legs and move better, whether or not they're taking a drug called sirolimus.

78%