Resveratrol Provides No Health Benefits to Healthy, Middle-Aged Women

A recent study found that resveratrol, an ingredient in red wine thought to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce risk of heart disease and increase longevity, displayed no health benefits in a population of healthy, post-menopausal women.

Resveratrol (trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene), a compound found largely in the skins of red grapes, is a component of Ko-jo-kon, a form of oriental medicine used to treat diseases of the blood vessels, heart, and liver. It came to scientific attention during the mid-1990s as a possible explanation for the "French Paradox," i.e., the low incidence of heart disease among the French, who eat a relatively high-fat diet. Since then, it has been promoted by manufacturers and examined by scientific researchers as an antioxidant, an anticancer agent, and a phytoestrogen.

In a study published in the October 25, 2012, online edition of the journal Cell Metabolism investigators at the Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO, USA) conducted a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the metabolic effects of 12 weeks of resveratrol supplementation in nonobese, postmenopausal women with normal glucose tolerance. The group comprised 29 women who did not have type II diabetes and were reasonably healthy. Half the group took an over-the-counter resveratrol supplement (the equivalent of eight liters of red wine per day) while the others received a placebo.

Results revealed that while resveratrol supplementation increased plasma resveratrol concentration, it did not change body composition, resting metabolic rate, plasma lipids, or inflammatory markers. Resveratrol did not increase liver, skeletal muscle, or adipose tissue insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, resveratrol did not affect its putative molecular targets in fat or muscle in nonobese women.

“Resveratrol supplements have become popular because studies in cell systems and rodents show that resveratrol can improve metabolic function and prevent or reverse certain health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer,” said senior investigator Dr. Samuel Klein, professor of medicine and nutritional science at the Washington University School of Medicine. “But our data demonstrate that resveratrol supplementation does not have metabolic benefits in relatively healthy, middle-aged women.”

“The purpose of our study was not to identify the active ingredient in red wine that improves health but to determine whether supplementation with resveratrol has independent, metabolic effects in relatively healthy people,” said Dr. Klein. “We were unable to detect a metabolic benefit of resveratrol supplementation in our study population, but this does not preclude the possibility that resveratrol could have a synergistic effect when combined with other compounds in red wine.”

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Washington University School of Medicine