Contact:
sales@biotechnologyforums.com to feature here

Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Resveratrol in red wine insufficient to explain 'French Paradox'
#1
There have been many studies attempting to explain the ‘French Paradox’, that is the relatively low incidence of heart disease in France, despite the high-fat diet consumed by many of its inhabitants. Some researchers had hypothesised that the effect may be explained by moderate consumption of red wine, which along with dark chocolate and berries contains a polyphenol called resveratrol. Resveratrol has been considered to confer antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects in humans and in some animal studies it contributed to longevity. However, a new study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that if there is a health benefit from wine and dark chocolate, it is not due to the levels of resveratrol achievable in the diet.

The study was carried out in two villages in the Chianti region of Italy between 1998 to 2009 on 783 men and women aged 65 or older. Levels of resveratrol metabolites were measured in the urine of the participants as an indicator of levels of resveratrol consumed in the diet. The primary outcome measure for the study was all-cause mortality, that is death from any cause, and the secondary measures were levels of inflammatory cytokines, cancer and cardiovascular disease. During the course of the study, 268 of the participants died, 174 developed heart disease and 34 got cancer.

The results of the study indicated that there was no discernable association between levels of resveratrol metabolites and all-cause mortality, incidence of heart disease or cancer or of levels of inflammatory cytokines. Studies in lower organisms had indicated that resveratrol could contribute to longevity, however the doses needed to achieve these effects or the beneficial effects shown in human studies would be impossible to achieve in the diet. Lead author Prof Richard Semba of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says: “The story of resveratrol turns out to be another case where you get a lot of hype about health benefits that doesn't stand the test of time... The thinking was that certain foods are good for you because they contain resveratrol. We didn’t find that at all.”

However, the results of this relatively small study do not necessarily mean that there is no health benefit to be derived from red wine or dark chocolate. Prof Semba points out that there are many possible ingredients in these substances that could be important and that any benefit, if there is one, must come from another shared ingredient. It is unclear how much wine or chocolate would have to be consumed in order to derive any benefit. Prof. Semba explains: "These are complex foods, and all we really know from our study is that the benefits are probably not due to resveratrol."

The fact that the levels of resveratrol derived from the diet may be too small to exert any effect also doesn’t mean that in higher doses, resveratrol would not have any beneficial effect. Responding to a BBC News report on the study, Maureen Talbot, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said: "We recognise the need to learn more about the action of resveratrol though, so are funding research into its reported disease-combating properties and how it affects the heart and circulatory system…This research is vital as it could form the basis of future medicines.”

Sources:
Semba, R.D., Luigi Ferrucci, L., Bartali, B., Urpí-Sarda, M., Zamora-Ros, R., Sun, K., Cherubini, A., Bandinelli, S. and Andres-Lacueva, C. (2014). Resveratrol Levels and All-Cause Mortality in Older Community-Dwelling Adults. JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 12, 2014. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1582

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-27371546 [Accessed 15 May 2014]
Like Post Reply
  

Possibly Related Threads…
Thread
Author
  /  
Last Post



Users browsing this thread:
2 Guest(s)

Resveratrol in red wine insufficient to explain 'French Paradox'00