An apple a day prevents muscle wasting

as long as you eat the peel!

When Popeye needed a boost in strength he would pop open a tin of spinach and empty it into his mouth. Hey presto! The muscle would appear...but recent research suggests that he may have been as well eating an apple as long as he ate the peel!

Ursolic acid is a waxy substance found in apple peel and research has shown that it reduces muscle wasting and promotes muscle growth in mice as well as reducing fat, blood sugar levels, cholesterol and triglycerides.

The UI study was published on 8 June 2011 in the journal Cell Metabolism. The findings suggest that the compound may be useful for treating muscle wasting and possibly metabolic disorders such as diabetes.

The team compared gene expression patterns in cells under different conditions. They determined which genes are turned on or off in human muscle during atrophy (the muscle wasting process) and compared that pattern with gene expression patterns in cultured cell lines treated with different compounds. They discovered that one of those compounds, ursolic acid, causes a pattern of gene expression that is the opposite of the pattern caused by atrophy. This suggested that ursolic acid might reverse atrophy. Put simply, they believe that ursolic acid, found in apple peel, works by reprogramming genes that cause muscle wasting and fat build up.

In follow-up experiments, the researchers proved that mice fed ursolic acid were protected from muscle atrophy caused by both fasting and nerve damage. Furthermore, healthy mice fed ursolic acid developed larger, stronger muscles than mice that did not receive the compound. They discovered that it boosts muscle growth by up to 15 per cent and reduces body fat by more than a half.

Interestingly, although ursolic acid increased muscle weight in mice, it did not increase total body weight, and further investigation showed that mice fed ursolic acid had less body fat than mice that were not fed the compound.

The researchers now hope to move the research toward human trials to see if this natural compound can prevent the muscle wasting that comes with illness and aging and whether ursolic acid, at levels that might be consumed as part of a normal diet, are or are not be enough.

So what could this mean for us runners? One of the key components of fitness for distance running is strength and to be strong we need plenty of muscle fibre. We need strength in order to hold an efficient technique from the start of the run to the finish. We need strength to run against any kind of resistance including the wind, hills and even the ground itself. We need strength to be able to increase our mileage. If we tried to progress our mileage with a weak body we would soon sucumb to injury. If you run 20 miles a week you are executing approximately 7,500 foot strikes. Your muscles, tendons and ligaments need to be strong enough to take that impact.

So it would seem, an apple a day could also keep the physio away!