Apr 11, 2014 05:32 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Eating green tomatoes may stimulate muscle growth and protect against future muscle atrophy, according to a recent study Glamour reported.

Researchers from the University of Iowa found that tomatidine, a natural compound found in green tomatoes, boosts muscle growth and strength. IT also protects against muscle wasting caused by illness, injury or aging.

Muscle atrophy is caused by aging and a variety of illnesses and injuries, including cancer, heart failure, and orthopedic injuries.  The condition makes people weak and fatigued, impairs physical activity and quality of life, and predisposes people to falls and fractures.

"Muscle atrophy causes many problems for people, their families, and the health care system in general," Christopher Adams, associate professor of internal medicine and molecular physiology and biophysics in the University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine, said in a statement. "However, we lack an effective way to prevent or treat it. Exercise certainly helps, but it's not enough and not very possible for many people who are ill or injured."

For the study, researchers identified tomatidine and discovered it stimulated growth of cultured human muscle cells. They team also found healthy mice given supplements containing tomatidine grew bigger muscles, became stronger and exercised  longer, but the mice did not gain weight, the Times Of India reported.

And, most importantly, they found that tomatidine prevented and treated muscle atrophy. 

Researchers said they are not sure how many green tomatoes people might need to eat in order to reap the muscle-building benefits.

"Green tomatoes are safe to eat in moderation. But we still do not know how many green tomatoes a person would need to eat to get a dose of tomatidine similar to what we gave the mice. We are working hard to answer this," Adam explained.

The study was published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

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