This “Italian Secret” Builds Muscles After 60

You may already feel the creeping weakness… stairs become harder, your grip isn’t what it was, and everyday tasks take more effort.

Mainstream medicine says “eat protein, lift weights, take your meds.”

But for many seniors, that isn’t enough—age, chronic inflammation, or underlying medical issues make muscle loss (sarcopenia) a tough opponent.

Well, what if there was a way to fight back – to stop muscle loss in its tracks and restore your youthful strength?

New research is proving that the key to staying strong after 60 may lie in a hidden “Italian secret”—one you’ll find in your kitchen, not your pharmacy.

For generations, Italians have celebrated the simple, vibrant ingredients of the Mediterranean table… but scientists say one of those staples may be doing more than anyone realized.

It could actually help reverse muscle loss, fight inflammation, and keep you strong and steady as you age.

That ingredient is a naturally occurring compound found in tomatoes – but I’m talking about unripe green ones— not the kind you’d spot in sauces or salads.

It’s called tomatidine and 2025 lab research showed that tomatidine can dampen inflammatory signals (like IL-6, IL-8, CCL2) inside muscle tissue.. By reducing those harmful signaling molecules, tomatidine helps muscle fibers resist the breakdown associated with aging and inflammation.

In earlier research in mice, tomatidine stimulated muscle growth, reduced atrophy, improved strength, and enhanced recovery from disuse.

So how does it work? Tomatidine helps by:

• Supporting mitochondrial function and energy production in muscle cells
• Lowering chronic inflammation that accelerates muscle breakdown
• Suppressing the ATF4 pathway, which is overactive in aged muscle and promotes weakness and wasting.

And the benefits go beyond sheer strength.

In aged mice models, tomatidine also reduced fat gain, helping maintain a healthier ratio of lean muscle to fat. That’s significant, because excess fat exacerbates inflammatory stress on muscles.

One worry you might have heard: “Tomatoes are inflammatory.” It’s a persistent myth — especially among people prone to joint pain or autoimmune disease. But the evidence doesn’t support it.

• Health professionals and large reviews now say there’s no solid proof that tomatoes or other nightshade vegetables cause inflammation in healthy people. Many studies find no link.
• Sizable evidence actually suggests that nightshades may even reduce inflammation, thanks to compounds like lycopene and other antioxidants they contain.
• That said, a small number of individuals with specific sensitivities or autoimmune conditions might feel worse after nightshade consumption. But that’s the exception, not the rule – just keep an eye on how you feel.

So, your enjoyment of tomatoes (or green tomatoes) shouldn’t automatically be off the table.

Here’s what you can do now:

• Eat more tomato varieties, especially green or less-ripe tomatoes, which tend to have much higher tomatidine content. With green tomatoes, you can cook them or include them in salsas or smoothies.
• Watch for tomatidine (green tomato extract) Some niche formulations are starting to appear in “muscle support” products.
• Pair with protein and activity. Tomatidine’s effects are strongest when muscles are being used—walking, resistance bands, or light strength work help.
• Consider supporting nutrients like urolithin A (a mitochondrial health compound from pomegranate) or CoQ10—both of which support cellular energy in muscles.

Big Pharma hasn’t paid much attention to tomato molecules like tomatidine—they’re too inexpensive and hard to patent. But as researchers dig deeper, this humble compound may turn out to be one of the most powerful tools we have against muscle aging.

Because true strength doesn’t always come in a bottle—sometimes it comes from what’s already on your shelf.

To keeping muscle loss off the menu,

Rachel Mace
Managing Editorial Director, e-Alert
with contributions from the research team

P.S. Stronger muscles WITHOUT the gym.

Sources:

• Xu, D., Chen, Y., Li, W., Zhang, T., & Zhao, H. (2025). Tomatidine attenuates inflammatory responses in skeletal muscle myobundles. Medical Research Archives, 13(2). https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/6423
• Dyle, M. C., Ebert, S. M., Cook, D. P., Kunkel, S. D., Fox, D. K., Bongers, K. S., … & Adams, C. M. (2014). Systems-based discovery of tomatidine as a natural small-molecule inhibitor of skeletal muscle atrophy. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 289(21), 14913–14924. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4031541/
• Kim, J., Kim, H., Cho, S., Lee, J., & Kim, S. (2022). Tomatidine inhibits ATF4 and promotes mitochondrial health. Experimental & Molecular Medicine, 54(11), 1769–1783. https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-022-00746-8
• Finkel, T., Zhao, J., & Zhang, H. (2016). Tomatidine extends lifespan and healthspan in elegans. Scientific Reports, 6, 46208. https://www.nature.com/articles/srep46208
• Harvard Health Publishing. (2021). Do nightshade vegetables cause inflammation? Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nightshade-vegetables-friend-or-foe-2019081517430
• National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2022). Lycopene and tomato products: potential health benefits. MedlinePlus Nutrition Source. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002407.htm
• Singh, A., & Chatterjee, S. (2020). Anti-inflammatory properties of lycopene: a review. European Journal of Nutrition, 59(3), 1089–1101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-01961-4