Resveratrol Intake Research Articles

Evidence for a Trade‐Off between Survival and Fitness Caused by Resveratrol Treatment of Caenorhabditis elegans

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound commonly found in plant-derived products, including red wine. A large number of beneficial effects including anticarcinogenic action and protection from atherosclerotic disease have been attributed to resveratrol. Increased resveratrol intake has been suggested as an explanation for the beneficial effects of moderate red wine consumption. Resveratrol also consistently extends the mean and maximum life span in model organisms including nematode worms. It has been suggested that resveratrol exerts its life-span-extending effect through calorie restriction or hormesis mimetic effects. We have characterized the effect of resveratrol on stress resistance, developmental rate, growth, and fecundity in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans in order to determine whether the beneficial effects of resveratrol on life span are associated with trade-offs in terms of early life fitness in nematodes. We find that resveratrol treatment increases stress resistance, specifically to oxidative stress, and causes a small but significant decrease in fecundity early in life without affecting overall fecundity. Resveratrol increased mean and maximum life span by delaying the onset of the exponential increase in mortality characterizing the "dying phase" in C. elegans, but did not affect the dying phase itself, suggesting that it did not act by directly affecting metabolism.

Vascular dysfunction in aging: potential effects of resveratrol, an anti-inflammatory phytoestrogen.

Epidemiological studies demonstrated that even in the absence of other risk factors (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, hyperhomocysteinemia, hypercholesterolemia), advanced age itself significantly increases cardiovascular morbidity by enhancing vascular oxidative stress and inflammation. Because the population in the Western world is rapidly aging, there is a substantial need for pharmacological interventions that delay the functional decline of the cardiovascular system. Resveratrol is an atoxic phytoestrogen found in more than 70 plants including grapevine and berries. Recent data suggest that nutritional intake of resveratrol and other polyphenol compounds may contribute to the "French paradox", the unexpectedly low cardiovascular morbidity in the Mediterranean population. There is increasing evidence that resveratrol exerts multifaceted anti-oxidant and/or anti-inflammatory effects in various disease models. Importantly, resveratrol was reported to slow aging and increase lifespan in simple organisms and has been suggested as a potential calorie restriction mimetic. Resveratrol has also been reported to activate NAD-dependent histone deacetylases (sirtuins), which may contribute to its anti-aging effects. This review focuses on the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in cardiovascular dysfunction in aging, and on emerging anti-aging therapeutic strategies offered by resveratrol and other polyphenol compounds.

Resveratrol and breast cancer risk

Resveratrol is a non-flavonoid polyphenol that has attracted attention as a potential anticancer agent in vitro and in vivo, but scanty epidemiological data are available. We have therefore analysed the relation between dietary intake of resveratrol and breast cancer risk using data from a case-control study conducted between 1993 and 2003 in the Swiss Canton of Vaud on 369 cases and 602 controls. Compared with the lowest tertile of total resveratrol intake, the multivariate odds ratios (OR) were 0.50 for the intermediate and 0.39 for the highest tertile, and the trend in risk was significant. A significant inverse association was observed for resveratrol from grapes (OR = 0.64 and 0.55), but not for wine. The inverse relation between resveratrol and breast cancer risk was not explained by several potential confounding factors, including detailed allowance for alcohol intake, nor attributable to a non-specific favourable effect of fruit on breast cancer risk.

Effect of Stilbene Resveratrol on Haematological Indices of Rats

Doubek J., T. Voln˘, A. Lojek, Z. Knotkova, V. Kotrbaaek, P. Scheer, Z. Hole‰ovska: Effect of Stilbene Resveratrol on Haematological Indices of Rats. Acta Vet. Brno 2005, 74: 205-208. The objective of this study was to find whether the short-time intake of stilbene-resveratrol can influence some haematological indices. The tested compound extracted from the fleeceflower knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) was dissolved in saline and administered by a gastric cannula to 15 experimental male rats of Wistar outbreeeding for a week at a daily dose of 4 mg/kg0.75 of body weight. The effects of resveratrol were compared with 15 control rats that received saline in the same way. The SPF rats (Anlab, Prague) were kept individually in cages and were provided with drinking water and complete feed mixture “Biostan Mypo” ad libitum. The feed contained all necessary energy nutrients, vitamins and minerals for the given animal species and their age. Using a colorimetric method and the Griess agent plasma concentrations of nitrites were determined in blood samples taken at the end of experimental period. Total antioxidative capacity (TRAP) of blood was determined luminometrically and using the aggregometer APACT II employing the turbidimetric method by Born functional tests of platelets were performed. ADP and collagen were employed to induce aggregation. Resveratrol administration did not influence plasma nitrites. No changes were observed in total antioxidative capacity of blood and aggregation characteristics of platelets. However, platelet disaggregation was significantly enhanced (p < 0.01) and their counts significantly decreased (p < 0.01). The results indicate that parameters important for haemostasis can be influenced by the short-time intake of resveratrol administered at the given dose.