Are the cardioprotective effects of the phytoestrogen resveratrol sex-dependent?

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in both men and women. Younger women have a lower risk for CVD, but their risk increases considerably after menopause when estrogen levels decrease. The cardiovascular protective properties of estrogen are mediated through decreasing vascular inflammation and progression of atherosclerosis, decreasing endothelial cell damage by preventing apoptosis and anti-hypertrophic mechanisms. Estrogen also regulates glucose and lipid levels, which are 2 important risk factors for CVD. Resveratrol (RES), a cardioprotective polyphenolic compound, is classified as a phytoestrogen due its capacity to bind to and modulate estrogen receptor signalling. Due to its estrogen-like property, we speculate that the cardioprotective effects of RES treatment could be sex-dependent. Based on earlier reports and more recent data from our lab presented here, we found that RES treatment may have more favourable cardiovascular outcomes in females than in males. This review will discuss estrogen- and phytoestrogen-mediated cardioprotection, with a specific focus on sex-dependent effects reported in preclinical and clinical studies.

Health Benefits and Molecular Mechanisms of Resveratrol: A Narrative Review

“…CVD risk increases with increasing age, gradually in men while disproportionately in women, and such a lower risk was in association with estrogen's cardioprotective properties [107,108]. In a recent in vivo study, sex differences were observed in rats with surgically-induced myocardial infarction (MI) due to the resveratrol treatment (2.5 mg/kg/d) [109]. Superior improvements were observed in females in terms of interventricular septal wall dimension at systole (IVSDs), end-systolic volume (ESV), ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), among which IVRT was purely sex-dependent.…”

Is There Such a Thing as “Anti-Nutrients”? A Narrative Review of Perceived Problematic Plant Compounds

“…It is hypothesized that regular consumption of isoflavone-rich foods provides substrates for equol producing bacteria to thrive, if present [ 123 ]. There are many suggested health benefits of phytoestrogens, including reduced menopausal symptoms, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cognitive disorders, and various forms of cancer [ 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 ]. Nonetheless, concerns are frequently raised that soy isoflavones and other phytoestrogens may act as endocrine disruptors and stimulate the growth of estrogen-sensitive cancers [ 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 ].…”

The Role of Resveratrol in Mammalian Reproduction

“…The cardioprotective activity [ 19 ] and estrogen-dependent cancer protection role of estrogens [ 20 , 21 ] are well-documented. Numerous studies have described the same estrogenic role of resveratrol in these disorders [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”