The component of red wine – resveratrol – taken in relatively small doses improves metabolism in obese men – according to research reported in the journal Cell Metabolism.
According to the authors of the study – scientists from the University of Maastricht (the Netherlands) – the effects of this substance are as good as the effects of a significant reduction in calories in the diet.
In the aging societies of the West, the number of obese people, people with diabetes and malignant tumors is systematically increasing. Previous studies have shown that the only non-pharmacological method that can delay the development of these diseases and slow down the aging process is to reduce the caloric content of the diet by 30-50 percent. – scientists remind.
Observations on humans indicate that short-term reduction of calories slows down the metabolic rate (and thus the aging process), improves the sensitivity of tissues to insulin (thus reducing the risk of diabetes) and lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is unlikely that people would be willing to follow such a diet in the long term, the authors of the latest study estimate.
Hence, researchers focused on finding compounds that mimic the health effects of a less-calorie diet without restricting food intake.
The latest research confirms that such an effect may have resveratrol, which is abundant in red wine, but also, for example, in mulberries, peanuts, and red grapes. Previously, in animal experiments, this compound was shown to alleviate the effects of a fatty diet and counteract the so-called tissue resistance to insulin. However, there have been no similar studies on patients.
Researchers from the University of Maastricht studied a group of 11 obese but healthy men. They gave them 150 mg of pure resveratrol in trans form every day for a month, followed by a placebo over the same period. At the same time, they measured the amount of energy expended by men, the amount of fat stored and burned by the body, and many other metabolic indicators.
It turned out that the red wine ingredient actually mimicked the effects of significant calorie restriction – it reduced energy expenditure and slowed down the metabolic rate during sleep and rest.
It also improved the function of the liver and reduced the amount of fat stored in it, reduced the level of triglycerides and glucose in the blood, and the level of inflammatory compounds that contribute to the development of many diseases. When using resveratrol, men had lower systolic blood pressure and their muscles burned more fat. However, it was not reported that the compound had an effect on weight loss.
Genetic analysis showed that the activity of 469 genes changed under the influence of resveratrol, of which 219 were more active and 250 less. Greater activity was found, for example, in the genes that regulate the functioning of mitochondria, the structures responsible for energy production in cells. The activity of the gene encoding the SIRT1 protein (and thus the amount of this protein in cells) increased, which promotes healthy aging. On the other hand, Resveratrol decreased the activity of genes responsible for the development of inflammation.
It is also important that by causing beneficial changes in metabolism, resveratrol did not have any visible side effects.
“We’ve seen a lot of minor effects that have consistently improved metabolism,” comments co-author Patrick Schrauwen. For obese people, she adds, it is not entirely clear whether lowering energy expenditure is a good or a bad thing. According to Schrauwen, the reduction in energy expenditure during sleep and at rest due to resveratrol reflects the improvement of metabolic efficiency of cells, as is the case with a less caloric diet.
Supplements with resveratrol are available over the counter, but the authors emphasize that more research is needed to determine if the compound can actually overcome the various metabolic disorders associated with obesity and aging.
In the future, Schrauwen and his colleagues plan to investigate not only obese people who are potentially at risk of diabetes, but also those who suffer from this disease.