The Nutrition Examination Research Digest (NERD) aims to provide rigorous, unbiased analysis of the latest and most important nutrition and supplementation studies. Click here to subscribe or login if already a subscriber .
Study under review: The effects of resveratrol intervention on risk markers of cardiovascular health in overweight and obese subjects: a pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials
Introduction
Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death in the world, representing 31% of all global deaths in 2012. Additionally, rates of overweight and obesity have been steadily increasing. This may be contributing to cardiovascular disease development, as it is associated with both direct (excess fat tissue) and indirect (increased blood pressure, blood lipids, insulin resistance) known risk factors.
Resveratrol (shown in Figure 1) is a naturally occurring polyphenol found in grapes, berries, and peanuts. It may also be found in some products made from these foods, such as red wine. There is considerable[1] evidence[2] from cell culture studies, animal research, and clinical trials that resveratrol supplementation benefits cardiovascular health through interactions with fat tissue, blood lipids, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and inflammatory markers.
Reference: Sanders et al. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2002. | Sanders et al. J Agric. Food Chem. 2000. |
Sobolev et al. J Agric. Food Chem. 1999. | Burns et al. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2002.
Additionally, a review[3] looked at resveratrol in long-term (longer than one year) clinical trials dealing with patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease or with established cardiovascular disease. It suggested that resveratrol supplementation is promising for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
The question remains: how would resveratrol supplementation benefit the cardiovascular health of individuals with overweight or obesity? Despite a strong mechanistic evidence base in cell cultures and animals, human research[4] on this question is inconsistent and scattered. The current study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of human clinical trials investigating the effect of resveratrol supplementation on cardiovascular disease risk factors in overweight and obese adults. The goal was to consolidate the current literature base and determine whether resveratrol supplementation is associated with improved markers of cardiovascular health in this at-risk population.
Cardiovascular disease and obesity are global health concerns. Promising data on long-term resveratrol supplementation suggests it may reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The current study was a meta-analysis of resveratrol supplementation clinical trials in people who were overweight or obese to determine whether it improves cardiovascular health risk markers.
Who and what was studied?
What were the findings?
What does the study really tell us?
The big picture
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I know?
Other Articles in Issue #23 (September 2016)
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Gut bugs and arthritis
Hippocrates said “all disease begins in the gut”, which might be close to the truth. This research looked at a type of gut bacteria that may help protect against rheumatoid arthritis
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HMB + ATP = huge muscles?
HMB (short for β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate) has shown promise in limited trials looking at its free acid form. Could combining this form with ATP be a recipe for accelerated muscle gain?
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Rematch: EPA vs. DHA for cardiovascular risk factors
NERD #21 already examined the effect of EPA vs. DHA in very high doses. This randomized trial answers whether normal doses of either fatty acid could help inflammation and blood lipids.
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A review of carnitine and weight loss
The amino acid l-carnitine has been studied for weight loss, with confusingly mixed results. Researchers pooled previous studies together in this meta-analysis to get a clearer picture.
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Interview: Pablo Sanchez-Soria, PhD
Toxins: a term that's incredibly overused by people who typically don't understand the concepts very well. Dr. Sanchez-Soria is a toxicologist who deals with toxins and disease on a daily basis. Dr. Pablo Sanchez-Soria is a Toxicologist at the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, L.L.C. (CTEH®). Dr. Sanchez-Soria has experience in the fields of human and environmental toxicology, as well as molecular and systems toxicology with an emphasis in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
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Kids will be kids … even if they skip breakfast?
Kids always get bugged by their parents to eat breakfast, so that they can do well in school. But does breakfast consumption actually impact cognition in this population?
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Have the fructose alarm bells rang too soon?
Fructose is both highly controversial and highly researched. Yet until this recent trial, it hadn’t been compared to other sugars for inflammation and intestinal impacts.
