A miracle pill that produces the same results as a gym workout could be on the horizon.

A miracle pill could produce the same results as a gym workout

A miracle pill could produce the same results as a gym workout

The drug could revolutionise the lives of couch potatoes as it fills the body with a protein that is produced in the blood during strenuous workouts and it also slashes the appetite.

Scientists are now hoping to turn the drug into a medication that enables people to sweat it out without ever having to go to the gym and are also assessing the links between exercise and hunger.

Professor Yong Xu, from Baylor College of Medicine in the US, said: "Regular exercise has been proven to help weight loss, regulate appetite and improve the metabolic profile, especially for people who are overweight and obese.

"If we can understand the mechanism by which exercise triggers these benefits, then we are closer to helping many people improve their health."