First clinical trial of resveratrol indicates important metabolic shifts

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First clinical trial of resveratrol indicates important metabolic shifts
By Nathan Gray , 02-Nov-2011 Related topics: Antioxidants, carotenoids, Phytochemicals, plant extracts, Weight management, Research
Small daily doses of the red wine antioxidant resveratrol could improve the metabolism of obese men to similar levels of those on a strict low-calorie diet, according to new ‘breakthrough’ research. The study, published in Cell Metabolism, is the first to report the clinical effects of resveratrol, reporting that obese men receiving a daily dietary supplement containing 150 milligrams of a 99 percent pure transresveratrol (resVida, DSM) have improved energy metabolism – to the extent that they appear to have similar metabolic changes as people on severe calorie restriction. “This is a real scientific breakthrough,” said Professor Patrick Schrauwen of Maastricht University in The Netherlands, who led the study. “For the first time, we demonstrated the health effects of resveratrol in humans. We also gained insight in how this occurs.” "We saw a lot of small effects, but consistently pointing in a good direction of improved metabolic health," he added. Schrauwen said that the study “marks a starting point” for further research to help improve the health of the still rising number of people suffering from obesity and type 2 diabetes. The study was carried out by researchers at Maastricht University, in collaboration with TI Food and Nutrition, Wageningen University, DSM, and Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Resveratrol potential Resveratrol is a natural polyphenolic compound present in various foods and fruits – most famously in red win and grapes, but also in mulberries and peanuts. Animal studies already previously shown that resveratrol activates ‘sirtuins’ (SIRT), proteins that are involved in energy metabolism, the same sirtuins are also activated when calorie intake is reduced. It is