Resveratrol Side Effects, Benefits, Dosage, and Research Information - My Resveratrol Experience

Resveratrol & Type II Diabetes: New Research

Recently, research from UT Southwestern led by Dr. Roberto Coppari, showed that when resveratrol was directly injected into rats fed a high caloric and fat laden diet showed a decrease in insulin level while   those on the placebo injection actually showed an increase.   This research was different than the research we have seen in the past because in this study the resveratrol was injected directly into the brain.  Researchers in this study felt there was not enough evidence to suggest that oral consumption of resveratrol from red wine or supplements would deliver the same effect because the resveratrol does not pass from the blood stream into the brain.

This new research provides direction for further research and for companies looking to create resveratrol based drugs to battle diseases of aging, such as Sirtris Pharmaceuticals and Elixir Pharmaceuticals.  They can now focus on finding ways to get the resveratrol to pass from the blood stream into the brain.  The study authors further claim that these findings also show that resveratrol activates sirtuins in the brain which may also be responsible for the calorie restriction mimetic effect of resveratrol.

Quercetin, Resveratrol's Cousin, Increases Endurance In Athletes

Quercetin, likes it's cousin resveratrol, has been shown to increase endurance by up to 13.2 percent in healthy active individuals.

Over the past year resveratrol has out shined quercetin in the flavanoid category of health supplements.  Many people have taken quercetin over the years to help with athletic performance and even with hopes of it having cancer fighting properties.

Quercetin is a flavanoid found in different plants and berries.  It has been tested in laboratories for its cancer fighting properties but has yet to be clinically proven to treat cancer in humans.  It is thought by many nutrition experts that the combination of resveratrol and quercetin is a powerful antioxidant mix that carries the potential for strong synergistic results. (Wikipedia)

While, as with resveratrol, little human studies have been completed to prove the benefits of quercetin, this past week researchers at the University of South Carolina released new research studying athletic performance.  12 healthy individuals were given either 500mg twice per day of quercetin mixed with Tang or a placebo of Tang minus the quercetin.

Resveratrol Research Being Performed by Students at Major Universities

Scouring the the web for recent news on resveratrol research I came across a video I found rather inspiring.  Mohnal Mehta, a Rutgers University Undergraduate Student, discusses her interest in researching resveratrol as a Chemotherapeutic Agent.

Under the direction of well known PhD's, Undergraduate and Graduate students are some times leading the way in fields often under researched.  This research provides insight into lessor known fields and also opens up the possibilities of scientific break through that can be confirmed by peer review.

While the video doesn't get into great detail regarding the work Monal is doing it does offer some basic insight into resveratrol as a Chemotherapeutic Agent.  Learn more by watching the video below.

Resveratrol Increases Cognitive Performance: It Can Help You Think!

A new human study shows Resveratrol improves our ability to think.

It all makes sense now!  I always felt smarter, sharper, and more in tune with my surroundings after 3 or 4 glasses of red wine. OK, perhaps that was just my buzz!  

On a more serious note, researchers at Northumbria University gave 24 healthy adults either placebo, 500mg of resveratrol, or 1000mg of resveratrol.  Cognitive tests were given prior to the administration of either the placebo or resveratrol.  The subjects given the resveratrol showed a significant increase in blood flow to the brain and performed better on the cognitive related tests.

Researcher Emma Wightman led the study and had the following to say, "This is the first time this effect has been tested in healthy adults. There is so much conflicting information these days about the effects of diet that it is interesting to see that a component you'll come across in many everyday foods, including fruit, vegetables and red wine, can have a positive effect on brain function."

Does Resveratrol Work?

Simple question, difficult answer!

When discussing "proof" in science a common phrase you will hear is "Anecdotal Evidence."  Let's say I was having a conversation with my Uncle Bob about resveratrol:

"Uncle Bob, remember how I've always had trouble sleeping?  Well, ever since I started taking resveratrol I've been able to sleep 8 hours per night!"

While the above statement may have actually occurred, and over the past 6 months I slept better, it does not mean resveratrol is what caused the better sleep habits.  This would be considered anecdotal evidence.

In science, anecdotal evidence has been defined as:

• "information that is not based on facts or careful study"[2]
  
• "non-scientific observations or studies, which do not provide proof but may assist research efforts"[3]
  
• "reports or observations of usually unscientific observers"[4]
  
• "casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis"[5]
  
• "information passed along by word-of-mouth but not documented scientifically"
  

Anecdotal evidence can have varying degrees of formality. For instance, in medicine, published anecdotal evidence is called a case report, which is a more formalized type of evidence subjected to peer review.[6] Although such evidence is not regarded as scientific, it is sometimes regarded as an invitation to more rigorous scientific study of the phenomenon in question.[7] For instance, one study found that 35 of 47 anecdotal reports of side effects were later sustained as "clearly correct."[8]

Researchers may use anecdotal evidence for suggesting new hypotheses, but never as supporting evidence. (Source: Wikipdeia: Anecdotal Evidence Scientific Context

Resveratrol in the News: Interesting Reads!

Over the past month some interesting articles have been published regarding resveratrol.  It can be difficult to find articles with substance, and not just advertising, so I hope this helps.  I found these following four articles to be informative reads.

Please feel free to comment on the articles below!

Drugs Reveal Another Possible Cause of Aging
Wired Science, 11/26/2008 by Brandon Keim
Early but intriguing research on mice suggests a new mechanism of aging, and possibly a way to stall it...

A potential drug for ischemia/reperfusion related liver injury
EurekAlert (press release) - Washington, DC, USA 12/23/2008
Resveratrol has been reported to have several biologic effects such as a potent antioxidative effect via prevention of lipid peroxidation...

SRT1720, Resveratrols' Big Brother Packs a Punch!

Mighty Mouse is back! Only this time he's bigger, faster, and stronger!

Today I cheated on my diet! For breakfast I had a three-egg omelet with cheese, bacon, and onions mixed in, along with a side of well done deep fried breakfast potatoes.  I didn't stop there!  Lunch consisted of a Bacon Cheeseburger smothered in fried onions, a large side of fries, and I washed it down with a few cokes.  For dinner I'm planning on continuing my binge of eating.

By now you're either very hungry or think I am crazy!  Maybe both!  I can eat like this because the new fountain of youth is here, SRT1720, Sirtris' newest wonder drug.  Did you sense the sarcasm yet?  Ok, so I didn't cheat that bad, but if drugs like SRT1720 are approved in humans perhaps one day we'll all be able to eat this way without any of the consequences!

You've probably seen the headlines and read the articles about SRT1720.  In a recent study by The University of Louis Pasteur a team of researchers found the drug protected against weight gain and insulin resistance, in Mice.  Let's take a look at the "meat & potatoes" of the study.

Sirtris Makes Major Moves - Goes Relatively Unreported!

The leading Resveratrol based Pharmaceutical Company is making some big drug changes! Have they beat themselves at their own game... in a good way?

Cambridge, MA based Sirtris Pharmaceuticals recently presented new information at the Boston Biotech Research & Development Conference on October 22nd, 2008.  As reported by Ryan McBride of Xconomy.com, Christopher Westphal, Sirtris' CEO, made a presentation with new information regarding their recent studies and the focus of the company going forward.

Sirtris' most publicized drug compound, SRT501, a potent blend of micronized resveratrol, is being put on the back burner for treatment of Diabetes in hopes Sirtris' own new replacement SRT2104, a NCE (New Chemical Entity) will provide an even more powerful pharmaceutical replacement.  SRT501 will continue to be used in trials for the treatment of colon cancer and MELAS syndrome.

NCE's are said to be 1000 times more potent then the SRT501 formulation.  Phase 2 clinical trials of SRT2104 should begin some time next year.

In the article Westphal was quoted as saying;

“I think ultimately, from a pharmaceutical-company perspective, a patented, composition-of-matter compound that is 1,000 times more potent is going to be more attractive than reformulated resveratrol, so definitely our focus is more on the NCEs."

Resveratrol In The News!

Every day I am alerted to new studies using resveratrol to help cure or support numerous diseases and ailments.  It's hard to keep up with them all so I decided to make it easier for every body and will be posting a list of articles related to any recent news on resveratrol.

Today we have our first post and you'll see there are numerous reports out about the different benefits of resveratrol.  From BioBeer that helps fight cancer, to helping those with Multiple Sclerosis, the articles below represent the possibilities of a better life for everyone.

Resveratrol May Help Treat Fatty Liver
Study Shows Red Wine Ingredient Protects Livers

Better beer: college team creating anticancer brew.
Rice students enter 'BioBeer' in synthetic biology's iGEM contest.

Resveratrol, red wine compound linked to health, also found in dark chocolate and cocoa.
A study by the Hershey's Center for Health and Nutrition showing links to resveratrol in chocolates.

Red Wine May Lower Lung Cancer Risk
Smokers shown to be most effected.

Resveratrol as a Fat Burner? New Study Reviewed (Part 2)

"Resveratrol treatment caused the greatest and most consistent loss of fat content."

The above quote is from a recent study completed by researchers at the University of Cincinnati titled, "A High Throughput Live Transparent Animal Bioassay to Identify Non-toxic Small Molecules or Genes that Regulate Vertebrate Fat Metabolism for Obesity Drug Development"

So the title is a bit of a mouthful.  It's important to note the study is the first of it's kind and extremely recent; published on August 27th, 2008 in BioMed Central's, Nutrition & Metabolism Journal. 

This study was a bit complicated for me to decipher but once I had an understanding of the terminology used it was extremely educational.  I've made reading the study results a bit easier by linking to definitions of the more complex terminology used.

Let's go straight to the meat of the study:

The isolation of a small molecule that can activate lipolysis could have therapeutic potential for the treatment of obesity. By extension there is a great need to identify which genes regulate fat metabolism to identify potential mechanisms of targeted molecular medicine.

Recent Resveratrol Study Published

Resveratrol Found to Improve Health, But Not Longevity in Aging Mice on Standard Diet
National Institute on Aging, July 3rd, 2008

A few brief quotes from the article...

"Scientists have found that the compound resveratrol slows age-related deterioration and functional decline of mice on a standard diet, but does not increase longevity when started at middle age."

As a reminder this study was completed on mice, not humans.  The many possible effects of resveratrol on humans have not been determined yet.  We do know the studies are promising in relation to potentially curing disease, getting diseases under control, increasing endurance, along with many more positive effects.

"A major finding of the study reported today is that resveratrol prevented age-related and obesity-related cardiovascular functional decline in the mice as determined by several parameters. Total cholesterol was significantly reduced in 22-month-old non-obese mice after 10 months of resveratrol treatment, although triglyceride levels had only a slight, non-significant trend toward a decrease. Further, the aortas of 18-month-old obese and non-obese mice treated with resveratrol functioned significantly better than untreated mice. Resveratrol also moderated inflammation in the heart. "

New Resveratrol Research: Potential Negatives

It's important to me in my research on resveratrol to find not only the potential positives of resveratrol but the potential negatives as well.  If the information I read isn't backed by scientific research then the information can not really be deemed as all that reliable.  Case in point: my own posts regarding my personal resveratrol experiences are not scientific proof.  Scientific research helps us determine for certain whether or not a hypothesis is proven true or false.  That said, it is always great to hear peoples own resveratrol experiences.  Any information is better then no information at all.

Recently, I've been in communication with Dominick Burton a Research Scientist from the UK.  Dominick is the owner of ageing-research.blogspot.com which focuses on, "the ageing process, specifically concentrating on cellular senescence and it's impact on age-related tissue dysfunction and disease development/progression."  After a few email exchanges he provided me with a summary of a study he recently completed with regards to resveratrol and a potentially damaging effect.

With permission from Dominick I am posting a summary of the study results:

Resveratrol results in mice. The latest news!

Earlier today I posted a link to the newest published study regarding resveratrol and its effects on mice as it relates to caloric restriction and anti-aging.  I've had some time to read through the study and found some interesting information that I'd like to point out.

Article Title:

"A Low Dose of Dietary Resveratrol Partially Mimics Caloric Restriction and Retards Aging Parameters in Mice"

About the participants and their diets:

"We fed mice from middle age (14-months) to old age (30-months) either a control diet, a low dose of resveratrol (4.9 mg kg⁻¹ day⁻¹), or a calorie restricted (CR) diet and examined genome-wide transcriptional profiles." 

and further explanation of the subjects,

"We fed individually-housed male (C57BL/6×C3H/He)F₁ hybrid mice one of three diet formulations: a control diet (84 kcal mouse⁻¹ week⁻¹), a CR diet (63 kcal mouse⁻¹ week⁻¹) and a control diet supplemented with trans-resveratrol (4.9 mg kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) starting at middle age (14 months of age)."

New Resveratrol Study Results Announced

Here is the link to the new study regarding red wine, resveratrol, and its caloric restriction properties in mice which came out in the PLoS1 journal.  I will be reviewing and breaking the information down later this evening.  See you all then.

A Low Dose of Dietary Resveratrol Partially Mimics Caloric Restriction and Retards Aging Parameters in Mice