Close X
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Grow bigger, stronger muscles with green tomatoes

Darpan News Desk, IANS, 10 Apr, 2014 10:42 AM
    All of us love to eat red tomatoes but as unlikely as it sounds, green tomatoes may hold the answer to bigger, stronger muscles.
     
    Natural compound from green tomatoes stimulates muscle growth, improves muscle strength and endurance and protects against muscle wasting, research reveals.
     
    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.
     
    “Muscle atrophy causes many problems for people, their families, and the health care system in general. Exercise certainly helps, but it is not enough and not very possible for many people who are ill or injured,” said Christopher Adams, an associate professor of internal medicine and molecular physiology and biophysics.
     
    Muscle atrophy, or wasting, is caused by aging and a variety of illnesses and injuries, including cancer, heart failure, and orthopaedic 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.
     
    Adams and his team zeroed in on tomatidine using a systems biology tool called the Connectivity Map.
     
    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.
     
    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.
     
    “Interestingly, although mice fed tomatidine had larger muscles, their overall body weight did not change due to a corresponding loss of fat, suggesting that the compound may also have potential for treating obesity,” Adams noted.
     
    “Green tomatoes are safe to eat in moderation. But we still do not know how many green tomatoes a person would need to eat to get a dose of tomatidine similar to what we gave the mice. We are working hard to answer this,” Adam explained.
     
    The study was published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    High temperature reduces length of pregnancy: Study

    High temperature reduces length of pregnancy: Study
    If you are pregnant and wish a full-term delivery, it is better to shift to a colder place before the mercury goes up as high temperature may reduce the length of your pregnancy, research indicates.

    High temperature reduces length of pregnancy: Study

    Astronauts' space odyssey alters their hearts for 'bad'

    Astronauts' space odyssey alters their hearts for 'bad'
    In an alarming revelation, a new study finds that astronauts' hearts become more spherical when exposed to long periods of microgravity in space -- a change that could lead to cardiac problems when they are back on earth.

    Astronauts' space odyssey alters their hearts for 'bad'

    Autism, an individual disorder

    Autism, an individual disorder
    The International Centre for Neurological Restoration (CIREN) here is developing a project aimed at validating and measuring the effectiveness of interventions in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

    Autism, an individual disorder

    Diet drinks spell heart trouble in older women

    Diet drinks spell heart trouble in older women
    Have you switched to diet drinks to minimise calorie consumption as you age? Think twice as according to an Indian-American researcher, healthy older women who drink two or more diet drinks a day may be more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problems.

    Diet drinks spell heart trouble in older women

    Revealed: Why cholesterol worsens in winter

    Revealed: Why cholesterol worsens in winter
    Cholesterol levels usually go up in colder months - a trend that may be driven by behavioural changes that occur with the changing seasons, new research by an Indian American researcher shows.

    Revealed: Why cholesterol worsens in winter

    A Yawn for a Yawn kindles love for sure!

    A Yawn for a Yawn kindles love for sure!
    Does your hubby yawn a lot? This may be his way of expressing love for you but you need to yawn back to confirm that you miss him too!

    A Yawn for a Yawn kindles love for sure!