An independent study conducted by the University of Maastricht suggests that resveratrol may improve the metabolic health of individuals at risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is predicted to become a major public health problem in industrialized as well as developing nations. It is especially a concern for many Asian populations, among whom studies have shown to have a greater tendency to deposit fat around the abdomen than their western counterparts. Obesity, especially abdominal obesity, is fundamental to metabolic syndrome.
Published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Cell Metabolism, this breakthrough study indicates that resveratrol has the potential to combat conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant found in black grapes that helps prevent free radical damage, which can lead to the premature aging of cells. DSM Nutritional Products produces an extremely pure form of this naturally occurring health agent under the trade mark resVida®.
The study was conducted by Prof. Dr. Patrick Schrauwen and coworkers from the Maastricht University Medical Center using resVida® from DSM. Obese men received 2 x 75 mg of resVida® daily for 30 days. The resVida® was well absorbed and generated a sustained plasma level of resveratrol in the bloodstreams of study participants.
Supplementation of the diet with resVida® led to a reduction of certain well known risk factors associated with obesity, including a significant drop in blood pressure and improved blood sugar and insulin levels. In addition, inflammation markers and liver fat content were reduced, indicating a general improvement of the health of the study participants.
It was also demonstrated that resveratrol increased the fat oxidation and fat storage capacity of skeletal muscle, an effect which is also known to result from a calorie-restricted diet or from endurance training.
Iris Kunz, R&D Human Nutrition & Health, DSM Nutritional Products, one of the study’s co-authors, comments: “The health benefits of resveratrol are becoming increasingly clear to medical science.These breakthrough findings suggest that resveratrol may have an important role to play in combating metabolic disease. Supplementation of the diet with resVida® is an example of the lifestyle choices that more and more consumers are making as part of a strategy of healthy ageing.”
The study by Prof. Dr. Patrick Schrauwen and his team was published in Cell Metabolism, 14:612-622, 2011.
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