A new pill could offer the same benefits as exercise, including muscle growth and performance, a study found.

The medicine can mimic the physical boost of a workout and potentially treat 'couch potato' conditions like obesity and muscle atrophy.

It could also stave off age-related conditions such as dementia, heart failure and declining kidney function.

After decades of work, scientists at Washington University developed a compound named SLU-PP-332 which activates specialized proteins, known as estrogen-related receptors (ERRs), that are triggered by exercise.