Does a special pill help older people get stronger when they exercise?
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
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Older people did simple exercises at home for 13 weeks. Half took a pill called rapamycin once a week, half took a fake pill. Both groups got a bit stronger, but the pill didn’t help extra and might have slowed progress a little.
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 562 / 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 simple exercises at home for 13 weeks. Half took a pill called rapamycin once a week, half took a fake pill. Both groups got a bit stronger, but the pill didn’t help extra and might have slowed progress a little.
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 562 / 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, Kaeberlein M, Leroux B, Jones J, Lucas R, Arroll B
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking 6 mg of sirolimus once a week might help reduce signs of aging and inflammation in older people, but we’re not sure yet and need bigger studies to confirm it.
Taking a weekly 6 mg dose of rapamycin might actually slow down strength gains in older people who are working out, even though both those on and off the drug get a bit stronger.
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.
Taking rapamycin with exercise might help improve muscle strength in older people by affecting a specific cell pathway in the body.
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 helps because the study was small and short.