Green Tomatoes Help Treat Muscular Atrophy

Tomatidine a compound found in green tomatoes may hold the answer to bigger, stronger muscles, say researchers.

Using a screening method that previously identified a compound in apple peel as a muscle-boosting agent, a team of University of Iowa scientists has now discovered that tomatidine, a compound from green tomatoes, is even more potent for building muscle and protecting against muscle atrophy.

Health Benefits of Tomato
Tomatoes are a rich source of potassium and vitamins. Tomatoes are used in the manufacture of skin care products. They have a whole lot of health benefits and one prominent benefit is its role in reducing prostate cancer risk.

Muscle atrophy, or wasting, is caused by aging and a variety of illnesses and injuries, including cancer, heart failure, and orthopedic injuries, to name a few. It makes people weak and fatigued, impairs physical activity and quality of life, and predisposes people to falls and fractures. The condition affects more than 50 million Americans annually, including 30 million people over age 60, and often forces people into nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities.

"Muscle atrophy causes many problems for people, their families, and the health care system in general," Christopher Adams, M.D., Ph.D., UI associate professor of internal medicine and molecular physiology and biophysics, said.

"However, we lack an effective way to prevent or treat it. Exercise certainly helps, but it's not enough and not very possible for many people who are ill or injured," he said.

Muscle Cramps - Symptom Evaluation
Muscle cramps occur commonly and result in temporary pain in the muscles. They are often due to overuse of muscles or dehydration.

In a new study, Adams searched for a small molecule compound that might be used to treat muscle atrophy.

He zeroed in on tomatidine using a systems biology tool called the Connectivity Map, which was developed at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University.

Light may Help Artificially Control Muscles
Scientists have discovered a new method to artificially control muscles using light, with the potential to restore function to muscles paralysed by conditions such as spinal cord injury and motor neuron disease.

Adams discovered that tomatidine generates changes in gene expression that are essentially opposite to the changes that occur in muscle cells when people are affected by muscle atrophy.

After identifying tomatidine, Adams and his team tested its effects on skeletal muscle. They first discovered that tomatidine stimulates growth of cultured muscle cells from humans.

Stronger Muscles in Teens Linked With Lower Risk of Diabetes, Heart Disease
Researchers who studied the effect of muscle strength in sixth grade boys and girls found that adolescents who had stronger muscles had a lower risk of heart disease.

Their next step was to add tomatidine to the diet of mice. They found that healthy mice supplemented with tomatidine grew bigger muscles, became stronger and could exercise longer. And, most importantly, they found that tomatidine prevented and treated muscle atrophy.

The findings are published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Source-ANI