Resveratrol Health Benefits l Resveratrol Studies l Antioxidant Benefits of Resveratrol Sources

Researchers from the Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Digestive Disease Center, Medical University of South Carolina, completed a unique study of resveratrol in 2004. The study was intended to determine the amount of resveratrol a human could absorb through oral dose.

Oral Doses of Resveratrol

Resveratrol has long been known to have verified positive impact on a variety of health issues, most notably prevention and suppression of various cancers and heart disease.

Scientific studies have dramatically shown the impact resveratrol (a compound naturally occurring in red wine and grapes) has on cancer cells and lipoproteins. However, the question was raised whether it was feasible that human beings could ingest and absorb enough resveratrol orally to generate the same results as produced in the laboratory. This is the question the team from the Medical University of South Carolina set out to answer.

Conclusion: Low bioavailability of resveratrol when ingested orally

It was discovered that while 70% of the resveratrol doses administered orally was absorbed, most of the resveratrol was soon metabolized and eliminated from the body via urine and feces. Only trace amounts of unchanged resveratrol were found in the bloodstream after a short period of time. These trace amounts do not have the capacity to reproduce the beneficial effects observed in laboratory settings.

Buccal delivery provides greater bioavailability

However, according to another study by Asensi M, Medina I, Ortega A, et al (2002), the most efficient way of administering resveratrol in humans appears to be buccal delivery. This group of researchers found that after keeping the trans-resveratrol compound inside the mouth for up to one minute – without swallowing – the levels of unchanged resveratrol in the bloodstream were 250 times higher to those obtained with pills. These findings make alternative delivery methods such as resveratrol melting tablets, lozenges and chewables more likely to produce the beneficial effects of resveratrol found in the laboratory.

In 2002, researchers from the Johannes Guttenberg University in Mainz, Germany set out to study the effects of resveratrol on Nitric Oxide Synthase (NAS) to determine its value in the fight against heart disease.

Thomas Wallerath, Ph.D., Goran Deckert, Thomas Ternes, Ph.D., Henrik Anderson, Huige Li, MD, Klaus Witte, MD, and Ulrich Forstermann, MD, Ph.D. conducted the study.

Resveratrol mimics estrogen’s vascular protective behavior

Estrogens have been known to increase endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), thus protecting the walls of the blood vessels. Since red wine resveratrol is similar in structure to estrogen, it can induce this vascular protective behavior.

This study tested the effects of resveratrol on human endothelial cells.

Testing Resveratrol’s Influence on Vascular Cells

The researchers used human umbilical vein to test resveratrol’s effect on endothelial cells. Cells were incubated for 12 to 72 hours with resveratrol or were left untreated (as in the case of the control). The team then monitored things such as eNOS mRNA, phytoestrogens, eNOS activity, etc.

Results: Resveratrol an effective preventative agent for heart and cardiovascular disease

Resveratrol increase the activity of the eNOS promoter. The eNOS mRNA was thus stabilized by the resveratrol keeping the vascular cells healthy. This discovery shows that resveratrol supplements can be used effectively as a preventative agent for heart and cardiovascular diseases by maintaining vascular cell health.

Doctors Usha R. Pendurthi, J. Todd Williams, and L. Vijaya Mohan Rao from the Departments of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at The University of Texas Health Center in Tyler, Texas published a study in 1998 stating that resveratrol, found in red wine, suppresses tissue factor expression in vascular cells.

Resveratrol and coronary heart disease

Several studies suggest that coronary heart disease deaths are lowered by moderate consumption of alcohol, particularly red wine. Resveratrol is produced in grapes and a variety of other plants in response to fungal infections or other types of stress. Resveratrol is found in high concentrations in grape skins, and therefore, most of the red wines contain significant amounts of resveratrol.

Recent studies in which humans consumed resveratrol-enriched grape juice showed that trans-resveratrol could be absorbed from grape juice in biologically active amounts and in amounts that are likely to cause a reduced risk of clogged arteries and heart disease.

Many studies suggest that moderate consumption of red wine may be more effective than other alcoholic beverages in decreasing the risk of coronary heart disease death. Resveratrol has been thought to be responsible for cardiovascular benefits associated with wine consumption. Resveratrol is shown to have antioxidant and anti-platelet activities.

Conclusion: Resveratrol reduces the risk of clogged arteries and cardiovascular disease

In this study, the doctors examined the effect of resveratrol supplements on induction of tissue factor expression, a process that begins the blood clotting processes. The data shows that resveratrol suppresses the expression of tissue factor in vascular cells.

In 1995, Doctors Cecil R. Pace-Asciak, Susan Hahn, Eleftherios P. Diamandis, George Soleas, and David M. Goldberg published a study from the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Toronto and Research Institute at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada. There is much evidence that suggests that red wine may be more effective than other alcoholic beverages in decreasing the risk of coronary heart disease death.

Polyphenol Resveratrol and its Effect on Blood Clots

Red wines are rich in phenolic compounds, like resveratrol, and may explain the protective qualities of red wine. This experiment studied the benefits of resveratrol on human blood platelet clotting.  The effects were compared with other wine phenolics and anti-oxidants. Trans-resveratrol was proven to reduce toxin induced blood platelet clotting. This means that trans-resveratrol reduced the risk or creation of harmful blood clots in laboratory experiments.

In this study, red wines with the alcohol content removed also reduced blood clotting, and its activity was comparable to trans-resveratrol’s concentrations in this experiment. The doctors noted that these results are consistent with the idea that trans-resveratrol may contribute to the protective role of red wine against coronary heart disease and artery clogging.