Resveratrol is a polyphenol compound found in a variety of edible fruits, red wine, nuts, berries, grapes, and certain plants that is characterized for its cardioprotective, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antiinflammatory properties. A study at Yonsei University in South Korea (one of the studies we will be discussing on Monday) was carried out through which the effects of resveratrol on obesity were studied. The results gathered from this experiment ssuggested that with resveratrol supplementation to high-fat diets, the amount of weight gained over a 10 week period in mice was significantly reduced. Resveratrol significantly reduced the size of adipocytes, and was able t improve obesity-induced inflammation. Here, resveratrol showed to have positive anti-obesity effects.
However, after researching more on resveratrol and its effects on the body, I came across another study from University of Copenhagen in which they found that resveratrol actually blunts the positive effects of training on cardiovascular health in aged men. By comparing the effects of only exercising and the effects of resveratrol supplementation with exercise, it was found that resveratrol supplementation combined with training abolished reduction of blood pressure and blood lipid levels and led to a significantly lower increase in maximal oxygen uptake with training. What confused me was that in the study from Yonsei University, it mentioned that resveratrol had cardioprotective characteristics, but in the Copenhagen study, they concluded the opposite. Is resveratrol supplementation only beneficial without exercise? And if that's the case, is that a proper way to deal with obesity?
Lasse Gliemann, et al. Resveratrol blunts the positive effects of exercise training on cardiovascular health in aged men. The Journal of Physiology (2013). doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.258061
(http://jp.physoc.org/content/early/2013/07/19/jphysiol.2013.258061.full.pdf+html)
It looks like there is a lot of mixed information out there! Looking into it more myself, I found some articles, both good and bad. From MayoClinic.com (it's one of my favorites :)) they list the "potential" benefits of resveratrol: diabetes, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and cancer. But at the end say that there has not been enough studies in humans to say with confidence what exactly the benefits are or are not.
ReplyDeleteFrom March earlier this year, there was a Harvard Medical school professor who did a study with red wine and stated that resveratrol DOES have beneficial anti-aging effects having to do with a serum in our bodies which "blocks diseases by speeding up the cell's energy production" via mitochondria. (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/resveratrol-does-provide-anti-aging-benefits-study-shows/)
On the negative side of things, another article from the American Journal of Pathology wrote that resveratrol had adverse effects in a mouse study dealing with MS. It said that the mice fed a resveratrol diet has higher scores for demyelination, meningitis, and inflammation than those not given resveratrol. (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266803.php)
Either way, whatever the final conclusion is, grapes and red wine are fabulous :)
Great findings, you guys have there. So now I'm left thinking, Should I change the grapes for an apple before a run?? haha It's very interesting to find that combining two things that are good for the body actually produce a negative outcome. Definetely more research would need to be done for this. I wonder if this would have to do with the amount of resveratrol they used in the experiment. I guess until something more concrete comes about these findings, we can agree with Maile. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the title of your post, it made me think of wine and the saying to have a "glass of one a day". Anyhow, ever since I started taking this Nutrigenomics class online, I have become especially interested in how nutrition can play a role in treating disease/illness conditions. Just like many studies that we have discussed with curcumin in class, it seems that more often than not, there are going to be conflicting/contradicting reviews out there about effects of such bioactive compounds. Indeed further studies should definitely been done to obtain more universal/agreeing results. Overall, I think articles like these are just trying to shed light on determining a more simpler way to improve health rather than relying on pharmacologic interventions.
ReplyDeleteI’ve always been told that nuts and berries were excellent antioxidants and were great for cleansing your body. This blog also made me think of the saying “glass of wine a day” like Julianne. My parents drink a glass of wine almost every other day. I hope their health isn’t in danger after reading about the Harvard MS study.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this post even though they found negative effects on resveratrol with exercising. Do you know if the effects are different in women since the study in Copenhagen was done on men? I guess in the end too much of something is never good and with resveratrol this might be the case since it has been found to have both good and bad effects.
Interesting the mixed effects of reservatol, it could be similar to how taking NSAIDS after exercise can reduce the benefit of the inflammation caused by exercise. Seems like many substances play a roll in balance and its probably best to take everything in moderation (and not all the time) to achieve the best balance.
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