Losing muscle as you age can make you weak… It may even steal your independence. But new research reveals a simple way to help prevent this…
Researchers at the University of Iowa found eating two natural compounds may help you hold on to your muscle mass and strength. They’re called tomatidine and ursolic acid.
They fed elderly mice diets containing small amounts of these compounds. After two months, they discovered mice that ate either gained back 10% of their muscle mass. And their muscle strength increased by about 30%… It gave them back the muscles of younger adult mice.1
How? These natural compounds deactivate a group of genes that cause muscles to deteriorate. These genes are normally activated by ATF4—a protein also found in humans.2 But ursolic acid and tomatidine stop this from happening.
The researchers believe ATF4 could be the root cause of age-related muscle loss and weakness… Something that has eluded scientists until now.3 They also believe tomatidine and ursolic acid may help humans preserve muscle mass and strength as they age.
So where do you find these compounds?
If the mice gained muscle mass and strength from either compound… Adding foods to your diet that are rich in both may provide even greater benefits.
Ursolic acid is the easier of the two to find. There are some common sources you may already get it from:4
- Apples (skin on)
- Cranberries
- Prunes
- Olive oil
- Sage
- Oregano
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Holy basil
Tomatidine is a bit more difficult… You can only get it from green tomatoes. There are two different varieties. The first is unripe red tomatoes, which are firm. The second is ripe green heirlooms. These are bulbous and soft when ripe. They may also have vertical stripes on them.5
Unripe red tomatoes Green heirloom tomatoes
And if you really want to preserve your muscles… You also need to add more protein. Even if you’re young, failing to get enough can cause your muscles to shrink. Try to eat half a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight to maintain your muscle strength.6
Don’t forget about exercise, either. All you need is a little bit of space to perform about 20 minutes of bodyweight exercises a few days a week. Nothing crazy. Pushups will help build functional muscle in your shoulders, arms, chest, and core. Squats target your entire lower body—from your glutes to your calves.
Following these diet and exercise tips can help your make everyday activities—like carrying your groceries and opening doors—easy for years to come.
What do you do to keep your muscles strong? Let us know in the comments.
In Good Health,
Angela Salerno
Publisher, INH Health Watch
Like this Article? Forward this article here or Share on Facebook.
References:
1http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/299212.php
2http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/468
3Idem
4http://uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat2.asp?newID=4429
5http://lenoir.ces.ncsu.edu/2014/07/what-is-a-green-tomato-unripe-red-or-its-very-own-variety/
6http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-upton/five-things-youve-got-all_b_5360319.html