An ingredient found in apple peel may be useful in preventing the muscle wasting that comes with illness and ageing.
Researchers at the University of Iowa gave ursolic acid, a natural product found in apple peel to fasted mice. Those experiments showed that ursolic acid could protect against muscle weakening as predicted. When ursolic acid was added to the food of normal mice for a period of weeks, their muscles grew. Those effects were traced back to enhanced insulin signalling in muscle and to corrections in the gene signatures linked to muscle wasting. Animals 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.
"Muscle wasting is a frequent companion of illness and aging," said Christopher Adams of The University of Iowa. "It prolongs hospitalisation, delays recoveries and in some cases prevents people from going back home. It isn't well understood and there is no medicine for it."
It is not yet clear whether the findings in mice will translate to humans but further studies to investigate this are planned.
