Resveratrol Effects
WHAT DOES IT DO? : EFFECTS / BENEFITS
A growing amount of research on resveratrol has revealed a diverse range of biochemical activities, which may indicate resveratrol’s use for the treatment of a wide range of human health problems. It has been claimed that resveratrol has anti-aging effects, improves heart health, prevents cancer, and protects against neurological diseases, among other benefits.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, a research company founded by David Sinclair and Christoph Westphal, is one of a few biotech companies that are currently focusing on developing resveratrol-based drugs. They believe these drugs may help control the aging process in humans and activate the body’s natural defenses against diseases. For Sinclair, his interest in resveratrol began while studying a gene that controlled the longevity of yeast. The gene is known as Sir-2 (silent information regulator-2) in yeast, equivalent to SIRT-1 in humans. The SIRT-1 gene is normally inactive, and Sinclair believes that when it is activated, it triggers a survival mechanism that extends life. After randomly testing thousands of compounds in the search for a natural substance that could activate the gene, he came upon resveratrol. Resveratrol activates sirtuin, which is the protein produced by the SIRT-1 gene.
Sinclair tested resveratrol on mice, which were fed a high fat diet for 12 weeks. One group was given a large daily dose of resveratrol. Compared to the mice that were not given resveratrol, those that were fed the drug ran twice as far on a treadmill, gained less weight, and lived about 20 percent longer. Sinclair reported that resveratrol changed the physiology of the mice, in that their organs post-mortem looked pristine, youthful, and fat-free. Encouraged by the success of the study in confirming the benefits of resveratrol, Sinclair and Westphal carried out trials on people with untreated diabetes. The results indicated that resveratrol significantly lowered glucose and insulin levels in the diabetic patients. At present, Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is now turning to cancer patients and developing a much more potent synthetic form of resveratrol that will soon go into human trials.
Although many resveratrol benefits have been observed, the large majority of studies has been carried out on cell culture and animals. Relatively little is known about resveratrol side effects on humans. Research is continuing and researchers like Sinclair seem confident that their findings will be proven relevant to humans, in the hope that resveratrol may produce an overall improvement in health and survival.
