Resveratrol Increases Metabolism, Improves Endurance

Just a few days ago, I posted new research developments on resveratrol, which demonstrated how this compound commonly found in wines may prevent strokes, and help address aging-related disorders, including obesity. The same people involved in the latter report new findings: Resveratrol reduces fat and boosts endurance by activation of SIRT1, first aging gene shown to accelerate human metabolism.

In a human population in Finland, SIRT1 was linked to increased energy expenditure as demonstrated by genetic studies of three variants of the SIRT1 gene. The study also showed that treating mice with resveratrol increased mitochondrial biogenesis leading to increased exercise endurance and protection from diet induced obesity.

Activation of SIRT1, the best characterized of the recently-discovered family of sirtuin enzymes, was shown to be the mechanism by which these therapeutic benefits occur.

In mice, animals dosed with 200 mg/kg or 400 mg/kg of resveratrol daily lost weight due to decreased fat, and this was attributed to an increase in the number and function of mitochondria. The resveratrol-treated mice also exhibited improved insulin sensitivity, an increased metabolic rate, and a two-times increase in exercise endurance.

Take note that all these, while impressive, are all still preliminary. As I’ve mentioned in a previous entry, beware of taking large doses of resveratrol, as they have been shown to affect blood platelets.