Resveratrol For Type 2 Diabetes, What Are the Benefits?
Numerous studies have noted the benefits of using resveratrol for type 2 diabetes, and the evidence keeps accumulating. Here are some of the latest findings regarding this potent antioxidant, which is found in red grapes and wine, and its impact on type 2 diabetes.
Let’s begin with a new review appearing in European Endocrinology in which the authors evaluated the findings of clinical studies that used resveratrol in people with diabetes as well as those in obese individuals at high risk for the disease. According to the reviewers, resveratrol can
- Lower blood glucose and insulin levels
- Reduce levels of hemoglobin A1c and insulin resistance
- Improve levels of good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein)
- Lower body weight, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, urea nitrogen, and total cholesterol
- Help reduce mortality associated with coronary heart disease
- Interfere with the onset and development of diabetic retinopathy (a leading cause of blindness in diabetics) by inhibiting inflammation, suppressing the development of new blood vessels that can promote the eye disease, and stopping the capillary leakage that contributes to the disease, among other benefits
You may enjoy all of these benefits of resveratrol and a low incidence of side effects at the same time. In fact, no side effects or toxicity have been observed at doses higher than 5 grams daily. However, limited data are available on the optimal doses of resveratrol necessary to manage type 2 diabetes or other chronic conditions.
Even so, the reviewers concluded that since more than a decade of research concerning resveratrol and diabetes had not shown adverse effects, “the use of resveratrol as a nutritional supplement is well justified in patients with type 2 diabetes.”
Resveratrol and diabetic foot ulcers
Foot ulcers are a common complication of type 2 diabetes which, if not adequately treated, can lead to amputation. The results of a recent clinical trial showed that use of a proprietary formulation of resveratrol was helpful in people with diabetic foot ulcers.
In the study, 24 adults with foot ulcers were given either a placebo or the resveratrol twice daily for 60 days. Compared with the patients who received placebo, those in the resveratrol group had better reduction in the size of their foot ulcers, improved performance in the foot pressure test, and a reduction in plasma fibrinogen levels, which is a strong cardiovascular risk factor.
These findings led the authors to conclude that supplementation with resveratrol “promotes reduction of the foot ulcer size and reduces plasma fibrinogen level in type 2 diabetic patients.”
Resveratrol and metformin
A previous study looked at the combination of resveratrol and metformin (a drug commonly used by people with type 2 diabetes) along with hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB), which is metabolite of the amino acid leucine. The research was conducted in diabetic mice.
The scientists discovered that a combination of the three factors significantly increased oxidation of fat and activity of Sirt1 in muscle cells when compared with metformin or resveratrol and HMB alone. Sirt1 is a protein that has been shown to protect against inflammation and obesity and help prevent diabetes.
Most resveratrol supplements provide 250 to 500 milligrams, but to get the equivalent dose used in some research, 2,000 milligrams or more would need to be taken. You should consult your healthcare provider before taking resveratrol for type 2 diabetes.
Bashmakov YK et al. Resveratrol promotes foot ulcer size reduction in type 2 diabetes patients. ISRN Endocrinology 2014 Feb 20: 2014:816307
Bruckbauer A, Zemel MB. Synergistic effects of metformin, resveratrol, and hydroxymethylbutyrate on insulin sensitivity. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity 2013; 6:93-102
Nanjan MJ. Betz J. Resveratrol for the management of diabetes and its downstream pathologies. European Endocrinology 2014; 10(1): 31-35