Can resveratrol help to maintain metabolic health?

Abstract

The number of people suffering from metabolic diseases is dramatically increasing worldwide. This stresses the need for new therapeutic strategies to combat this growing epidemic of metabolic diseases. A reduced mitochondrial function is one of the characteristics of metabolic diseases and therefore a target for intervention. Here we review the evidence that mitochondrial function may act as a target to treat and prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus, and, if so, whether these effects are due to reduction in skeletal muscle fat accumulation. We describe how exercise may affect these parameters and can be beneficial for type 2 diabetes. We next focus on alternative ways to improve mitochondrial function in a non-exercise manner. Thus, in 2003, resveratrol (3,5,4 ′ -trihydroxystilbene) was discovered to be a small molecule activator of sirtuin 1, an important molecular target regulating cellular energy metabolism and mitochondrial homoeostasis. Rodent studies have clearly demonstrated the potential of resveratrol to improve various metabolic health parameters. Here we review data in human subjects that is available on the effects of resveratrol on metabolism and mitochondrial function and discuss how resveratrol may serve as a new therapeutic strategy to preserve metabolic health. We also discuss whether the effects of resveratrol are similar to the effects of exercise training and therefore if resveratrol can be considered as an exercise mimetic.

Resveratrol attenuates high-fat diet-induced obesity and the aging-related sarcopenia mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle

“…The aging of the population represents one of the largest healthcare challenges facing the world today. Some papers has reported to lower the rate of production of free radical reaction damage have been shown to increase the life span, to enhance mitochondrial function and age-mediated immune responses and to slow development of sarcopenia and the skeletal muscles disorders (33,(34)(35)(36)(37). We examined the effects of resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound present in grapes, on sarcopenia obesity in (high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice and aging-associated sarcopenia SAMP8 mice.…”

Resveratrol and Its Analogues – Is It a New Strategy of Anticancer Therapy?

“…SIRT1 is an important molecular regulator of energy metabolism and cellular mitochondrial homeostasis. Therefore, the activation of SIRT1 is an alternative way to improve the function of mitochondria [38].…”

Resveratrol and exercise

“…Commonly accepted to be a calorie-limiting factor (34), RES affects adaptations in the O 2 transport system to meet the increased O 2 requirements in exercise. In many cases, RES activates molecule pathways during exercise (35,36) and produces a performance enhancing effect (37). Conversely, human studies demonstrate that RES curbs the beneficial effects of exercise in certain groups of patients, such as those with cardiovascular disease (38,39).…”

“…Since RES was claimed to have a performance-boosting effect in exercise, it has been assumed that RES may contribute to maintaining health in aging and increasing the quality of life (35,36). Accordingly, RES was shown to increase endurance in exercise (40) and longevity (41,42) in an old mouse model.…”