Antioxidant Resveratrol Reduces Arterial Stiffness in Diabetics

Resveratrol, a comopund found in grapes, red wine may reverse the blood vessel abnormalities that occur with aging and in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Highlights

Resveratrol, a natural compound in red wine, skin of red grapes may reduce artery stiffness in Type 2 diabetics.
Arteries in the body tend to become stiff due to aging, high blood pressure, diabetes.
Aortic stiffness was reduced in those who consumed 300 mg of resveratrol, a compound present in red wine, grapes.

Red wine, peanuts, berries and the skin of red grapes, contain resveratrol, a natural compound that may reduce artery stiffness in some people with Type 2 diabetes.

"This adds to emerging evidence that there may be interventions that may reverse the blood vessel abnormalities that occur with aging and are more pronounced in people with Type 2 diabetes and obesity," said Naomi M. Hamburg, M.D., M.S., senior author of the study and chief of the vascular biology section at the Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts.

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‘Resveratrol activates the longevity gene SIRT1 in humans, and this may be a potential mechanism for the supplements to reduce aortic stiffness.’

As the body's largest artery, the aorta, becomes stiffer, the risk of heart attacks and strokes increases. In the current study, researchers used a test called the carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (CFPWV) to measure aortic stiffness in 57 patients with Type-2 diabetes (average age 56 years, 52 percent female, 67 percent African-American and on average rating as obese on standard height/weight charts).

Tests were performed after patients consumed daily doses of 100 mg/day of resveratrol for two weeks followed by 300 mg/day of resveratrol for two weeks and after comparable placebo dosing for a total of four weeks.

Participants were also tested on several other measures of their blood vessels' ability to relax and expand as needed to accommodate changes in blood flow, an important indicator of healthy blood vessel function.

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Key Findings

In the overall study group, there was a trend toward reduced aortic stiffness with resveratrol treatment; however, the change was not statistically significant.
In a subset of 23 patients with high arterial stiffness at the start of the study, the 300 mg dose of resveratrol reduced aortic stiffness by 9.1 percent
Aortic stiffness was reduced to a lesser extent, 4.8 percent, in 100 mg group while stiffness increased with the placebo treatments.

"The effect of resveratrol may be more about improving structural changes in the aorta, and less about the relaxation of blood vessels, and people with more normal aortic stiffness may not get as much benefit," Hamburg said.

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In animal studies, resveratrol activates a gene (SIRT1) that delays aging and the development of several diseases. To look at that mechanism in humans, researchers in the current study took a sample of the inner lining of blood vessels from seven participants and examined the tissue for SIRT1 activity.

Although they detected increased SIRT1 activity after resveratrol supplementation, the difference was not statistically significant.

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"We found that resveratrol also activates the longevity gene SIRT1 in humans, and this may be a potential mechanism for the supplements to reduce aortic stiffness. However, the changes in this small and short-term study are not proof, said Ji-Yao Ella Zhang, Ph.D., lead study author.

The author suggests the need for studies with longer treatment are needed to test the effects of a daily resveratrol supplement on vascular function.

Resveratrol - the Powerful Antioxidant

Helps address hormone imbalance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Improves the body's ability to use insulin and potentially lower the risk of developing diabetes.
Protect cells against damage from aging.
Improves learning and memory ability by reducing oxidative stress in vascular dementia.
Exerts a protective effect from noise-induced hearing loss.

Reference

Naomi M. Hamburg et al., Can the antioxidant resveratrol reduce artery stiffness in diabetics?, American Heart Association ATVB-PVD Scientific Sessions 2017.

Source-Medindia