Resveratrol is one of the candidates for solving the so-called. “French paradox”. It revolves around the greasy French cuisine, the low growth of cardiovascular disease in the French, their active longevity and their (and our) young red wines.
It is interesting to note that the Spaniards also get enough daily doses of resveratrol (200 mg per day) and this is due to the consumption of wine. Resveratrol is erroneously claimed to be able to prolong life (at least not in mammals), but the substance exhibits beneficial properties in terms of blood pressure, heart and insulin sensitivity.
Table of Contents
What is resveratrol?
Resveratrol is a polyphenolic phytoalexin. It sounds scary and incomprehensible, but it is actually a natural compound found in a number of natural products.
Resveratrol is found in red grape skins, some herbs, blueberries and even peanut skins
The main natural purpose of resveratrol is to protect its source from toxins. Therefore, its concentrations are highest in the scales. The natural way to obtain resveratrol is by consuming the foods it contains and / or by consuming young red wines.
Resveratrol has two isomers (cis-Z and trans-E) depending on where its glycosidic groups are located. The active isomer is thought to be trans-E, which is much more volatile in the natural environment and is converted to the other isomer under the influence of sunlight.
Resveratrol is by nature an antioxidant and a bioflavonoid. Therefore, the substance exhibits properties typical of this group of antioxidants, such as prevention of osteoporosis, acceleration of fat burning and of course the effect on blood pressure.
What do we need to know about resveratrol?
Resveratrol is one of the new hits on the market for health supplements in the last few years.
The main natural sources of resveratrol are:
- All grape varieties and grape products. The wine usually contains 0.005-2.861umol / L, with the highest content in red burgundy. Grapes contain an average of 27-35 μg / g trans-resveratrol and 160-460 ng / g cis-resveratrol;
- Raspberries (38-59 ng / g trans-reveratrol);
- Blue plum (13-20 ng / g trans-reveratrol);
- Cherry tomatoes (168-175 ng / g trans-reveratrol);
- Peanuts (5 μg / g in raw peanuts, 0.3 μg / g in peanut butter, 0.05 μg / g in roasted peanuts).
The main sources of resveratrol as a dietary supplement are Polygonum Cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed, Japanese weed), cissus, grape seed extract and Morus alba.
The most popular resveratrol as a dietary supplement is extracted from Japanese weeds!
It is said to cure diabetes 2, prolong life and even stop cancer … at least that’s what research with mice shows. Of course, until there is serious confirmation of human research, it will be difficult to talk about a real proven effect.
That is why we will separate the proven from the presumed. The BB-Team advises you to be critical of the anti-cancer properties of resveratrol and the antioxidant not to be treated as a potential drug.
Digestibility and bioactivity
Resveratrol has poor solubility in water. However, most studies have found that in practice, resveratrol is well absorbed on an empty stomach and in the absence of fatty acids. Resveratrol is well broken down in the small intestine and does not appear to have a negative effect on food.
On the other hand, the bioactivity of resveratrol is relatively low due to its metabolism. Administration of a 25 mg oral dose results in serum levels of 5ug / mL, while 0.2 mg injected directly into the serum results in a concentration of 16.4-30.7 ng / mL. This is due to the rapid metabolism by P450 enzymes.
The higher the oral dose, the lower the bioactivity.
The most interesting part is that the bioactivity of resveratrol is directly related to the circadian rhythm. Digestibility is higher in the early hours of the day. This may be due to the activity of the P450 enzyme glucuronidation.
The most common form of resveratrol on the market (trans-resveatrol) is characterized by relatively good bioactivity. Tests in humans have shown that oral administration of 500 mg of trans-resveratrol results in serum concentrations of 8.36ug / L within 24 hours.
What is it used for and what are the health benefits?
Proven benefits and effects of resveratrol:
- The most established effect of resveratrol is its action as an antioxidant. It has been found that the substance exhibits strong antioxidant properties and suppresses a number of markers of oxidation and inflammation;
- Tests on humans have shown that resveratrol intake around a workout can rather have a negative effect on adaptation to exercise stress. Resveratrol inhibits the increase in oxygen capacity and changes in oxygen. Theoretically, it can inhibit the mTOR mechanism, as well as protein synthesis itself. Another study found that taking 150 mg of resveratrol after exercise suppressed improvements in anaerobic sprint exercises and increased strength .
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It has a positive and significant effect on improving blood flow. There is a direct link between blood flow and wine consumption. Intake of 500 mg directly improves blood flow to the brain;
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Significantly lowers blood pressure, but only in people with high blood pressure. It is not clear how it affects healthy individuals;
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It has a positive effect on some markers of carbohydrate metabolism. It lowers blood sugar as well as lowers insulin levels in people with metabolic syndrome. Several studies on overweight people and metabolic problems have shown that resveratrol can significantly improve insulin sensitivity in doses that are easy to obtain from food;
- Lowers liver enzymes and protects liver tissue, but mainly in people with metabolic syndrome;
- Cardioprotective properties in people at increased risk of heart disease. He also noted a modest decrease in the levels of “bad” cholesterol and triglycerides;
- Helps treat acne, but only when used as a cosmetic. No effect when taken orally.
Assumptions and unproven claims:
- Prevention of some types of cancer – research is conflicting, there are no definite results conducted with humans. It may be more effective in combination with other substances, such as curcumin, indole-3-carbinol, melatonin and others;
- Improvement in the treatment of diabetes 2 – currently intensive experiments with laboratory animals and humans. For the time being, resveratrol improves some markers in metabolic syndrome as well as improves insulin sensitivity, but more research is needed to determine if it can be used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes;
- Athletic performance – as with the other benefits of resveratrol, there are no human data. However, the developments in animals are impressive. Resveratrol is thought to trigger the CIRT 1 sports gene, which significantly improves the performance of test subjects in terms of metabolic rate, hormone levels, and more. At this stage, human research demonstrates the opposite. Resveratrol may have a negative effect on the markers of aerobic and anaerobic performance, but mainly when used around the workout itself. Taking it at other times of the day can have a radically different effect;
- Prolongation of life (slowing of aging) – although similar effects have been observed in test animals, such a conclusion in humans requires years of research due to our slow metabolism. It is possible that the effect itself is due more to the impact on factors that shorten life. At this stage, scientists are more likely to argue that the substance adds “life to the years” rather than “years to life”;
- Potential neuroprotective properties and Alzheimer’s counteraction;
- Potential properties for strengthening bone tissue and counteracting osteoporosis (in vitro). Shows synergism with vitamin D;
- Possible effects on estrogen levels and inhibition of aromatization.
The way resveratrol works is thought to be by unlocking and stimulating the work of certain genes in human DNA and thus leading to an improvement in the overall metabolism of substances.
Undoubtedly, the studies look promising, but it will take at least another five years to clarify the effects on humans. For example, resveratrol has promising benefits for improving insulin sensitivity, and this is the potential mechanism of action:
The questionable link between resveratrol and the effects of red wine should also be emphasized. The reason is that the latter contains many more similar and even less studied substances.
Side effects and contraindications to resveratrol
Resveratrol is an extremely young product. No side effects have been found yet. Animal tests demonstrate that the limit without side effects is 200 mg / kg body weight for rats and 600 mg / kg body weight for dogs. As already mentioned, people are considered to have no significant side effects up to 5 grams per day. Manifestations such as nausea and stomach irritation are possible due to low bioavailability at high doses.
What to combine with resveratrol?
There are no known drug interactions due to lack of sufficient research in the field. Resveratrol may show some synergistic effects with similar substances.
- Enhances fat metabolism in combination with genistein;
- Protects the walls of blood vessels and enhances fat metabolism in combination with quercetin;
- Enhances fat cell oxidation in combination with leucine and HMB (in vitro);
- Potential anti-cancer properties in combination with indole-3-carbinol, melatonin and curcumin;
- Enhances the immunostimulatory properties of beta-glucans;
- Synergism in protecting the heart in combination with melatonin;
- Enhances the antioxidant properties of grape seed extract.
What doses are needed and how is it taken?
There are no recommended daily allowances, neither from the US FDA nor from EU authorities. There are studies on people who took up to 5 g / day without side effects and negative health consequences for a period of several days.
Most manufacturers of the supplement use 500 mg for the optimal daily dose, without, however, their claims having serious scientific monitoring.
According to research, the minimum effective dose is 5-10 mg per day. However, most tests use doses between 150 and 445 mg of pure resveratrol daily. These doses refer entirely to the trans-resvratrol form.
An acceptable daily dose is between 50 and 200 mg of pure resveratrol.
In which sports and health supplements can we find it?
Resveratrol is sold in combination with grape extract or as part of an antioxidant formula. You can also find it in a complex multivitamin formula. If you have opted for a supplement containing resveratrol, try to find out if it has a trans-E isomer or a weakly active cis-Z. Almost all resveratrol available on the market is trans-resveratrol, which is derived from the herb Polygonum Cuspidatum.
The standard resveratrol content is 50% of the extract, so you should follow the product label. For example, if 200 mg of extract is prescribed in one capsule, the resveratrol content is about 100 mg. You can read more about resveratrol and other similar supplements in:
- Grape seed;
- How to fight estrogen dominance ?;
- A glass of red wine ?;
- Anthocyanins.
Sources used for Resveratrol :
- “Antioxidant effects of resvetrol and its analogues against the free-radical-induced peroxidation of linoleic acid in micelles”, FANG Jian-Guo; MAN LU; CHEN Zhi-Hua; ZHU Hui-He; YAN LI; LI YANG; WU Long-Min; LIU Zhong-Li. ISSN 0947-6539
- Johnson WD, et al. Subchronic oral toxicity and cardiovascular safety pharmacology studies of resveraol, a naturally occurring polyphenol with cancer preventive activity. Food Chem Toxicol. (2011)
- Patel KR, et al. Clinical trials of resveraol. Ann N Y Acad Sci. (2011)
- Resverrol Potentiates Genistein’s Antiadipogenic and Proapoptotic Effects in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes.
- Kleinedler JJ, et al. Synergistic effect of resvetrol and quercetin released from drug-eluting polymer coatings for endovascular devices. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater. (2011)
- Trusov NV, et al. Effects of combined treatment with resvratrol and indole-3-carbinol. Bull Exp Biol Med. (2010)
- Malhotra A, Nair P, Dhawan DK. Curcumin and resveaol synergistically stimulate p21 and regulate cox-2 by maintaining adequate zinc levels during lung carcinogenesis. Eur J Cancer Prev. (2011)
- Vetvicka V, et al. Glucan and resvetrol complex–possible synergistic effects on immune system. Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. (2007)
- Kisková T, et al. A combination of resvertrol and melatonin exerts chemopreventive effects in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced rat mammary carcinogenesis. Eur J Cancer Prev.
- Liang Z, et al. Characterization of polyphenolic metabolites in the seeds of Vitis germplasm. J Agric Food Chem. (2012)
- Belguendouz L, Fremont L, Linard A. Resvatrol inhibits metal ion-dependent and independent peroxidation of porcine low-density lipoproteins. Biochem Pharmacol. (1997)
- Walle T, et al. High absorption but very low bioavailability of oral resveatrol in humans. Drug Metab Dispos. (2004)
- Cottart CH, et al. Resverrol bioavailability and toxicity in humans. Mol Nutr Food Res. (2010)
- Almeida L, et al. Pharmacokinetic and safety profile of trans-resveraol in a rising multiple-dose study in healthy volunteers. Mol Nutr Food Res. (2009)
- Boocock DJ, et al. Phase I dose escalation pharmacokinetic study in healthy volunteers of resvetrol, a potential cancer chemopreventive agent. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. (2007)
- Smoliga JM, Baur JA, Hausenblas HA. Resveatrol and health–a comprehensive review of human clinical trials. Mol Nutr Food Res. (2011)
- Resveraol Blunts the Positive Effects of Exercise Training on Cardiovascular Health in Aged Men.
- Resveraol supplementation does not augment performance adaptations or fibre-type-specific responses to high-intensity interval training in humans. Scribbans TD, Ma JK, Edgett BA, Vorobej KA, Mitchell AS, Zelt JG, Simpson CA, Quadrilatero J, Gurd BJ.
- Cardioprotection by resveraol: A human clinical trial in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Magyar K, Halmosi R, Palfi A, Feher G, Czopf L, Fulop A, Battyany I, Sumegi B, Toth K, Szabaos E.
- Calorie restriction-like effects of 30 days of resverarol supplementation on energy metabolism and metabolic profile in obese humans.
- Effects of resverarol on cerebral blood flow variables and cognitive performance in humans: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover investigation. Kennedy DO1, Wightman EL, Reay JL, Lietz G, Okello EJ, Wilde A, Haskell CF.
- Resvatrol improves insulin sensitivity, reduces oxidative stress and activates the Akt pathway in type 2 diabetic patients. Brasnyó P1, Molnár GA, Mohás M, Markó L, Laczy B, Cseh J, Mikolás E, Szijártó IA, Mérei A, Halmai R, Mészáros LG, Sümegi B, Wittmann I.
- Cardioprotection by resverrol: A human clinical trial in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Magyar K1, Halmosi R, Palfi A, Feher G, Czopf L, Fulop A, Battyany I, Sumegi B, Toth K, Szabados E.
- Resveraol-containing gel for the treatment of acne vulgaris: a single-blind, vehicle-controlled, pilot study. Fabbrocini G1, Staibano S, De Rosa G, Battimiello V, Fardella N, Ilardi G, La Rotonda MI, Longobardi A, Mazzella M, Siano M, Pastore F, De Vita V, Vecchione ML, Ayala F.
