New Health Benefit of Resveratrol Identified

In previous studies, resveratrol has been found to increase the life span of mice and also to delay the onset of diabetes. It has also proven to improve strength and endurance, and to mirror the positive effects of aerobic exercise in mice which were fed a high fat/high sugar diet. A team of researchers from Georgetown University, lead by associate professor Dr. J.P. Hyatt, have recently been studying the effects of reveratrol in the diet of rhesus monkeys. They chose to explore whether resveratrol supplementation would cancel out the negative impact of a 2 year high fat/high sugar diet on the monkey’s hind leg muscles.

One group of rhesus monkeys, the control group, was fed a healthy standard diet and another group was fed a high fat/high sugar diet. Half of the second group also received a resveratrol supplement, while the rest of the second group was given a placebo. The average food consumption was identical for all three groups. The researchers were interested in learning how different parts of the monkey’s bodies responded to the benefits of resveratrol, particularly the muscles in the back of their legs.

The team examined three types of hind leg muscles: a “slow” muscle (soleus), a “fast” muscle (plantaris), and a “mixed” muscle, (extensor digitorum longus, EDL). The soleus muscle is a large muscle that spans from the knee to the heel and is used consistently in standing and walking. Of the three muscles studied, the soleus was the most effected by the high fat/high sugar diet. It was also the most effected by the resveratrol supplementation. This is possibly due to the fact that this muscle is used more frequently, on a daily basis, than the other two muscles studied. Myosin, a protein that helps muscles contract and determines it’s fast or slow properties, shifted from more slow to more fast with a high fat high sugar diet in the soleus. Supplementation with resveratrol counteracted this shift. The planteris muscle is located along the back of the calf. This muscle did not exhibit a negative reaction to the high fat/high sugar diet, however it had a positive response to the resveratrol supplementation, exhibiting a fast to slow myosin shift. The mixed muscle was not affected by the diet or by the resveratrol supplementation.

Hyatt said that it would be reasonable to expect other slow muscles to have a similar reaction to the soleus muscle, when given a high fat/high sugar diet along with resveratrol supplementation. The maintenance or addition of slow characteristics in soleus and plantaris muscles, respectively, implies that these muscles are far more fatigue resistant than those without resveratrol. Skeletal muscles that are phenotypically slower can sustain longer periods of activity and could contribute to improved physical activity, mobility, or stability, especially in elderly individuals," he said, when asked if this study could be applied to humans.” Though it may be tempting to continue eating a high fat/high sugar diet and simply add in a glass of red wine or a cup of fruit in hopes that it will counteract the damage, the researchers stress the importance of a healthy diet.