Resveratrol May Extend Lifespan, Treat Ageing and Obesity-Related Disorders

I have written about resveratrol before, a compound found in the grape skin and seeds which have been demonstrated in mouse trials to protect against strokes.

This time, researchers at the Harvard Medical School and the National Institute on Aging report that resveratrol may help improve the health and possibly increase the lifespan by offsetting the effects of a high-calorie diet.

“The “healthspan” benefits we saw in the obese mice treated with resveratrol, such as increased insulin sensitivity, decreased glucose levels, healthier heart and liver tissues, are positive clinical indicators and may mean we can stave off in humans age-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, but only time and more research will tell.”

That’s a quote from Prof. David Sinclair, a co-author of the paper published in the Nov 1 issue of Nature, and a co-founder of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, a company currently conducting phase 1b trial in humans with diabetes using an enhanced, proprietary formulation of resveratrol.

But don’t go stocking up on resveratrol supplements yet. The authors emphasize, that the safety and effectiveness of resveratrol for human use to address aging and age- or obesity-related conditions still requires extensive research. In fact, some contraindications are already known, including evidence from earlier animal studies that have shown high doses of resveratrol to affect blood platelets, which could increase the risk of bleeding when taken with anticoagulant, anti-platelet or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

For further reading (or listening), have a look at these online references:

• National Institute of Aging, Press Release
• Harvard Medical School, Office of Public Affairs
• Substance in Red Wine Extends Life of Mice, New York Times
• Resveratrol improves health and survival of mice on a high-calorie diet, Nature (abstract available, subs req’d for full text)
• Resveratrol and the life of mice (mp3), Nature podcast

[Photo: Image of three 15 month old mice: (left) standard diet; (center) high calorie diet; (right) high calorie diet + resveratrol. Credit: Doug Hansen]