Does a special pill help older people get stronger when exercising?
Exercise and Weekly Sirolimus (Rapamycin) in Older Adults: RAPA‐EX‐01 Randomised, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled Trial
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Older people did home exercises for 13 weeks. Half took a pill called sirolimus once a week, half took a fake pill. Everyone got stronger, but those on the real pill didn’t improve as much.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 573 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Older people did home exercises for 13 weeks. Half took a pill called sirolimus once a week, half took a fake pill. Everyone got stronger, but those on the real pill didn’t improve as much.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 573 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Stanfield B, Leroux B, Kaeberlein M, Jones J, Lucas R
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Doing the 30-second chair stand test—standing up and sitting down as many times as you can in half a minute—can accurately show how strong your legs are and how well they work as you get older.
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.
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.
Taking a weekly 6 mg dose of the drug sirolimus doesn't help older adults get extra benefits from exercise — and might even cancel out some of the gains they'd normally see.
Older adults who take a weekly 6 mg dose of sirolimus while exercising might see slightly less improvement in hand strength and walking ability compared to those taking a fake pill — suggesting the drug could be limiting some of the usual benefits of exercise.