The stamina result came from mice
Reynolds and colleagues reported better treadmill performance in mice given MOTS-c in their 2021 study.
The same mouse study reported a longer lifespan with treatment begun late in life.
Neither finding establishes better stamina or a longer life in humans.
Human exercise studies asked a different question
Studies in people measured natural MOTS-c around exercise; they did not test an injection as a fitness treatment.
As of September 30, 2026, the published record did not establish a human fitness benefit from injected MOTS-c.
“Exercise in a bottle” skips the missing step
MOTS-c helped mice run better. The studies in people measured the body’s own MOTS-c after exercise. They did not show that a MOTS-c shot could replace exercise.
Ask the person making the claim to name the human treatment study and the outcome it measured.
Make “more energy” a clearer goal
Describe what has changed in daily life. Is the concern getting through work, taking a walk or recovering after activity? Give the doctor a concrete example.
Then ask what could explain it, how it would be assessed and what a meaningful improvement would look like.
Keep this in mind
As of September 30, 2026, published treatment studies had not shown that MOTS-c injections give people more energy or a longer life.
A question to take
What human result supports the energy, fitness or ageing claim?
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