Resveratrol is a potent antioxidant found in the skin of red grapes and red wine, as well as other plant foods, such as peanuts and blueberries. Previous studies suggest that resveratrol has anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects. Now research reports that resveratrol increased life span and improved quality of life in obese, middle-aged mice. Resveratrol may help prevent age-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes in humans.
The study, published in the journal Nature, investigated the effects of resveratrol on middle-aged mice fed three different diets. Researchers at Harvard University in Boston administered either a regular diet, a high calorie/fat diet or a high calorie/fat diet supplemented with resveratrol to mice for 1 year. Food intake, body fat and body weight measurements, fasting insulin levels, and motor function tests were obtained from the mice.
Researchers found that 58 percent of the mice fed the high calorie/fat diet had died, compared to 42 percent of the mice on the regular diet or the resveratrol high calorie/fat diet. Furthermore, the risk of death was reduced by 31 percent for the mice on the reveratrol high calorie/fat diet. Findings also revealed that the resveratrol-fed mice had improved insulin sensitivity, decreased fasting insulin levels, improved motor function, enhanced mitochondrial function (the metabolic conversion of food to energy) and healthier body tissues.
The study findings suggest that resveratrol treatment protected mice against the unhealthy effects of their obesity and high calorie/fat diet, and produced changes associated with a longer lifespan. "These data show that improving general health in mammals using small molecules is an attainable goal, and point to new approaches for treating obesity-related disorders and diseases of aging," the study authors write.
REFERENCES:
1. Baur JA et al. Resveratrol improves health and survival of mice on a high-calorie diet. Nature 2006 Nov16;444(7117):337-42. Epub 2006 Nov 1.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on January 10, 2007 03:43 PM
