Tomatidine, a compound available in green tomatoes, increases muscle growth, strength and inhibits atrophy. Tomatidine, a steroidal compound,hexacyclic amine, protects green tomatoes from fungi, bacteria,virus and bugs.

Scientists at the University of Iowa are conducting further research to create a treatment for age-related sarcopenia, skeletal muscle atrophy.Treatment can help with injured and bedridden people, or those with restrictions preventing movement. Sarcopenia affects 30 million Americans annually.There is no effective treatment.

Eating green tomatoes should help. Researchers can only speculate how many green tomatoes are safe and effective for humans.The active ingredient is highest in organically grown tomatoes, Keith Baar advises, an expert in skeletal muscle metabolism. Tomatidine fed to farm animals and mice increased muscle mass by almost 15%, Baar observed.Christopher Adams, University of Iowa, discovered tomatidine promotes growth of human muscle cells in cultured mediums.

Tomatidine is 10 times stronger than ursolic acid, an inhibitor of muscle atrophy found in apple peels. Ursolic acid also has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The research was published in the Journal of Biology and Chemistry in 2014.

It is so good to know our food is healing us without drugs and our golden years are becoming healthier and longer with these compounds in super foods.

Judy Griffin PhD.

(Chemical and Engineering News, Stephen Ritter: May 5, 2014.)