by: Michael Clonts
Natural Component of Apple Peels Found To Help Prevent Muscle Weakening
In search of an effective method to prevent muscle wasting that comes
with illness and aging, researchers have located a natural compound
that is very promising.
The findings reported in the June issue of Cell Metabolism (a Cell
Press publication), identify a natural component of apple peels known
as Ursolic Acid as a promising newnutritional therapy for the
widespread and debilitating condition that affects nearly everyone at
one time or another.
"Muscle wasting is a frequent companion of illness and aging,"
explained researchers from The University of Iowa, Iowa City. "It
prolongs hospitalization, delays recoveries and in some cases prevents
people going back home. It isn't well understood and there is no
medicine for it."
The research team first looked at what happens to gene activity in
muscles under conditions that promote weakening. Those studies turned
up 63 genes that change in response to fasting in both people and mice
and another 29 that shift their expression in the muscles of both
people who are fasting and those with spinal cord injury. Comparison of
those gene expression signatures to the signatures of cells treated
with more than 1300 bio-active small molecules led them to ursolic acid
as a compound with effects that might counteract those of atrophy.
"Ursolic Acid is an interesting natural compound," they said. "It's
part of a normal diet as a component of apple peels. They always say
that an apple a day keeps the doctor away..."
The researchers next gave Ursolic Acid to fasted laboratory
subjects. Those experiments showed that ursolic acid could protect
against muscle weakening as predicted. When ursolic acid was added to
the food of normal subjects for a period of weeks, their muscles grew.
Those effects were traced back to enhanced insulin signaling in muscle
and to corrections in the gene signatures linked to atrophy.
The subjects given ursolic acid also became leaner and had lower
blood levels of glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides. The findings
therefore suggest that ursolic acid may be responsible for some of the
overall benefits of healthy eating.
"We know if you eat a balanced diet like mom told us to eat you get
this material," the researchers explained "People who eat junk food
don't get this."
It is not yet clear whether the findings will translate to human
patients, but the goal now is to "figure out if this can help people."
If so, they don't yet know whether Ursolic Acid at levels that might be
consumed as part of a normal diet might or might not be enough.
Journal Reference:
mRNA Expression Signatures of Human Skeletal Muscle Atrophy
Identify a Natural Compound that Increases Muscle Mass. Cell Metabolism
No comments:
Post a Comment