Sep 10, 2015 12:01 PM EDT By Rashmi Kalia, UniversityHerald Reporter

A research study conducted at the University of Iowa has discovered not only the protein that result in muscle weakness and loss in old age but also the components that can help recover muscle strength and mass, NWR reports.

In this latest study conducted on mice, Christopher Adams, MD, PhD, UI professor of internal medicine and senior study author, and his team discovered that ursolic acid and tomatidine lowered the level of muscle weakness and atrophy.

According to NWR, Adams says, "Based on these results, ursolic acid and tomatidine appear to have a lot of potential as tools for dealing with muscle weakness and atrophy during aging. By reducing ATF4 activity, ursolic acid and tomatidine allow skeletal muscle to recover from effects of aging."

A decrease in muscle strength, and mass is usually caused in old age due to a protein, ATF4. In an earlier study, researchers had found that a component present in green tomatoes and apples could decrease ATF4 activity in aged skeletal muscle.

"By reducing the protein's activity, ursolic acid and tomatidine allow skeletal muscle to recover from effects of ageing," Adams pointed out, according to NDTV.

The scientists found that Ursolic acid and tomatidine increased muscle mass by 10 percent, and increased muscle quality, or strength, by 30 percent. .

The findings were published online Sept. 3 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The findings could help discover new therapies for age-related muscle weakness and atrophy.

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