Cellular Health

New Study Suggests Capsaicin Fights Obesity

A new study has led researchers at the University of Wyoming School of Pharmacy to develop a new treatment for eliminating obesity in mice. The main ingredient in the new treatment is capsaicin, which is the compound that gives chili peppers their spiciness. When ingested, capsaicin has a positive effect on the peripheral nervous system, which is that part of the nervous system found outside of the brain and spinal cord. It has been known that capsaicin can help relieve minor pain, and previous research has focused on the effects of capsaicin on symptoms of neuropathic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

New research evaluating the benefits of capsaicin looked at how obesity was affected by the compound. The team, led by Dr. Baskaran Thyagarajan, found that a drug derived from capsaicin, which was designed to release the compound into the bloodstream gradually over a 24-hour period, shows promise for fighting obesity in lab mice. After testing the new drug, which is called metabocin, on mice with successful results, the research team presented their findings at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior yearly meeting. Their premise for developing metabocin is that capsaicin can activate TRPV1 receptors, which are most commonly found in fat cells. The researchers believed that activating those receptors could cause adipocytes, the white fat cells in the body, to actually burn calories instead of storing them as excess fat.

Following this discovery, Dr. Thyagarajan and his team continued their research to uncover any adverse side effects that might be caused by long-term use of the drug. While they couldn’t find any negative side effects, the researchers did note that the cholesterol and blood sugar levels in the mice were considerably improved. Additionally, the mice had better insulin response times and fewer symptoms of fatty liver disease. The researchers continued to observe the mice for eight months of regular use of the drug and, while adverse side effects were not noted, they did continue to lose weight throughout the period of the study. Dr. Thyagarajan says the research suggests that metabocin is both safe and effective, adding that the mice were able to tolerate the drug well.

Dr. Thyagarajan did caution people not to take this research as a sign that they should begin eating more chili peppers. He points out that chili peppers can have an unsettling effect on the digestive system and may make some people feel sick. Metabocin contains capsaicin extract, allowing individuals to benefit from its effects in a more easily digested form. The research team hopes to begin clinical trials on humans in the near future.

Study Claims Capsaicin May Benefit Breast Cancer

Looking at research on the breast cancer front, researchers have found that there are various types of the disease and that each one responds differently to treatment. One type that doesn’t respond well to most treatments is termed “triple-negative” breast cancer. Studies into capsaicin have discovered that the chili pepper compound may hold the key to treating this type of cancer more effectively. Triple-negative breast cancer gets its name from the fact that it tests negative for epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in addition to testing negative for progesterone and estrogen.

In treating triple-negative breast cancer, the only intervention that has been found to have any effect at all is chemotherapy. Recent research into the effects of capsaicin on triple-negative breast cancer conducted at the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany suggest there may soon be an alternative. Dr. Hanns Hatt and Dr. Lea Weber led the team, which included representatives from various facilities throughout Germany, including those from the Herz-Jesu-Krankenhaus hospital in Dernbach, the Centre of Genomics in Cologne, and Augusta clinics throughout Bochum.

The scientists discovered that one of the effects the compound has on TRPV1 receptors is to initiate cancer cell death. It can also prevent the growth of some types of cancer, including pancreatic and colon cancer. It does this through the olfactory senses, which are activated by the spicy nature of chili peppers. When a chili pepper is ingested, smell molecules lining the nose are activated, which, in turn, caused the activation of TRPV1 receptors. Once the TRPV1 receptors were activated, cancer cells began to gradually die off. The researchers also observed that tumor cells were killed off in larger quantities and that they were not able to move throughout the body as efficiently. The scientists believe this effect may reduce the likelihood of the cells metastasizing.

While increasing the amount of chili peppers one eats is not necessarily going to work to fight triple-negative breast cancer, the Ruhr University study indicates that concentrated doses in medicinal form may be more beneficial. The key to developing an effective medication is in finding a drug that can activate the TRPV1 receptors without causing harmful side effects in humans. While capsaicin needs to be studied further for its benefits, this compound may offer better alternatives to existing treatments for both obesity and breast cancer in the future.

Ironing Out the Kinks of Age: How Smoothing Cellular Wrinkles May Reverse Aging

Jul 03 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

As we age, our risk for a number of health complications increases. Neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, potentially terminal illnesses such as cancer and heart disease and metabolic disorders such as fatty liver disease and diabetes are just a few of the health hurdles that many seniors will have to face. Scientists have long struggled with understanding the mechanisms underlying aging and its related issues. New research that suggests wrinkles in cells cause aging sheds light on this murky area and may lead to therapies that could turn off the effects of aging and combat age-related conditions.

Scientists Discover Wrinkles in Cells Cause Aging

“You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old,” may have been uttered by a famed comedian, but it’s a notion that’s no laughing matter to scientists who are working to put the brakes on the aging process.

A new discovery suggests that the negative aspects of aging may be the result of “wrinkles” within cellular nuclei that prevent genes from properly functioning. The researchers believe there may be a way to smooth out those wrinkles that could stop or even reverse the aging process, leaving scientists to ponder on the possibility of a wrinkle cream for our DNA. The results of the study have been published in the journal Aging Cell.

Lumpy Membranes: How Wrinkles In Cells Cause Aging and Illness

In the new study, a team of researchers from the University of Virginia School of Medicine were investigating fatty liver disease, which is a condition that occurs when fat builds up within the liver. It’s normal to have some amount of fat in the liver, but too much impairs liver function. Fat accumulation in the liver can have serious health consequences. Along with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, too much fat in the liver can lead to liver failure and potentially even death.

Fatty liver disease affects an estimated 100 million people in the United States alone. Typically associated with an older population, the majority of cases are diagnosed in people who are between the ages of 40 and 60. Fatty liver disease is the most common cause of liver disease in Western populations, however, the exact cause and underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

During her research, senior authors of the study, Professor Irina M. Bochkis, Ph.D., discovered that the creation of liver fat occurs due to the development of wrinkles in the cell’s nucleus. The nucleus of a cell is where our DNA is stored. The team’s research demonstrates that where DNA is actually located within a cell’s nucleus is “critically important.”

These cellular wrinkles begin to develop and increase in their numbers as we age. Their presence interferes with the cell’s ability to produce DNA. Dr. Bochkis explained, “we have the same DNA in every single cell but each cell is different.” She further expounded, “so how does that work? Well, actually, certain genes need to be on in the liver and they have to be turned off in the brain, for example, and vice versa. If they’re not turned off appropriately, then you have problems.”

Under normal circumstances, when they are turned off, these genes are pushed against a membrane that surrounds the nucleus. As we get older, this membrane develops irregular lumps and wrinkles that stop genes from turning on or off as they should. According to Bochkis, “when your nuclear membrane is no longer functioning properly, it can release the DNA that’s supposed to be turned off.” She explained that in the case of fatty liver disease, this essentially results in turning liver cells into fat cells. “The liver can end up looking like Swiss cheese,” she said.

Reversing the Aging Process by Smoothing Cellular Wrinkles

So, if wrinkles in cells cause aging, what exactly causes these membrane irregularities, and is there any way to prevent and repair the damage? Similar to how a lack of the substance collagen produces wrinkles in the skin, wrinkles in the nuclear envelope stem from a lack of a particular substance. In this case, that substance is the protein lamin. Lamins are a group of cellular proteins that provide structural integrity to the membrane. The team believes that adding this protein back into the nuclear membrane will reduce the membrane wrinkles and reverse the fat cells back into healthy liver cells. The problem then becomes how to reintroduce lamins back into the cells. Bochkis and her team believe that a modified virus could be the most viable method of transporting the microscopic protein payload into place.

Modified viruses are already being used as a means of delivering other types of treatment. Dr. Bochkis believes that because of the role that the liver plays in detoxification, it would be particularly easy to do for their purposes. According to Dr. Bochkis, if this approach is successful, “you’re going to have normal cells, normal healthy cells, and they will appropriately express the genes that should be expressed… you’re going to eradicate the stuff that shouldn’t be there.”

Dr. Bochkis believes that wrinkling in the nuclear envelope is largely responsible for most age-related diseases and illnesses in other parts of the body as well. “Every time I give this talk to colleagues, they say, ‘well, do you think this is a universal mechanism?’ In my opinion, I think it is,” she said.

Low Vitamin D Linked to Cancer Risk

Jun 22 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

If you’re not giving your body enough vitamin D, you may be exposing yourself to a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer. At least, that’s what the findings from two new studies have revealed. While we’re warned that too much sun exposure will raise the risk of developing skin cancer, it seems too little sunshine is just as bad for us. The vitamin D that our bodies absorb during exposure to direct sunlight has an even more positive effect on our bodies than previously thought.

Study Finds Low Vitamin D Linked to Cancer

In the past, getting enough vitamin D was recommended because it was thought to help the body maintain an overall better level of functioning, strengthening the immune system and other biological systems. More recent research has found that a good supply of vitamin D does much more than that, however. Studies have found that a deficiency of this vitamin can increase one’s risk’s of developing Parkinson’s and cardiovascular disease, as well as causing certain individuals to gain weight.

Now, a new research project which combined experts from a variety of different organizations took a look at how low levels of vitamin D were linked to cancer. Specifically, the study conducted by the American Cancer Society, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the United States National Cancer Institute looked at how vitamin D levels affected the development of bowel cancer. Also called colorectal cancer, bowel cancer is almost as widespread as skin cancer and is expected to cause more than 50,000 deaths by the end of this year.

This isn’t the first study to look at the relationship between bowel cancer and vitamin D. There have been several studies conducted independently in the past. Some research confirmed a link, while others did not find a connection between vitamin D and bowel cancer. The new collaborative study was established to find a definitive answer. The new study was the most expansive one of its kind, amassing data from subjects on three different continents. Of the group, there were 5,700 test subjects with colorectal cancer and 7,100 individuals in the control group.

The study did find a connection between low vitamin D levels and the risk of developing colorectal cancer. The study subjects were evaluated at regular intervals, about every 5.5 years, and those found to have a lower than recommended vitamin D level also had a 31 percent higher chance of developing bowel cancer. The risk did not increase in subjects with higher levels of vitamin D. While it the results seem to indicate that vitamin D does play a part in the development of bowel cancer, co-first study author Marji L. McCullough says these results shouldn’t be viewed as an indication that high vitamin D levels can actually prevent colorectal cancer.

The Correlation Between Vitamin D and Breast Cancer

In another separate study that looked at how vitamin D was linked to cancer, researchers wanted to see how the vitamin affected the development of breast cancer. The project was undertaken at the University of California’s San Diego School of Medicine and involved looking at the results of two clinical trials, alongside the pooled results of a prospective cohort study. They wanted to establish a correlation between vitamin D levels the risks of breast cancer.

The project teamed the University of California researchers with others from Creighton University, the Medical University of South Carolina and GrassrootsHealth, which is a nonprofit organization out of Encinitas, California. They looked at 3,325 subjects from clinical trials and another 1,713 individuals in the cohort study. The average study participant was a 65 year-old woman with no indication of cancer at the time the study was started.

Between 2002–2017, the participants of the study were examined every four years. The follow-up examinations looked at the risks of developing breast cancer in each individual and at the levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) in their blood serum, which is a vitamin D biomarker. The rate of breast cancer was adjusted for age, determining a rate of 512 per 100,000. The study uncovered 77 new cases of breast cancer developing in the test subjects.

Those who showed a higher concentration of the vitamin D biomarker in their blood serum had a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer. Specifically, they found that subjects with more than 60 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) of the vitamin D biomarker in their blood had just one-fifth the risk of developing breast cancer than those with only 20 nanograms per milliliter of the biomarker in their blood. While 60 ng/ml seems to be the minimum level of vitamin D we should have in our bodies, the research also found that the risks of developing breast cancer continued to drop as vitamin D levels get higher.

While vitamin D does seem to play an important role in the development of certain cancers, researchers hope to conduct more studies to learn more about the correlation. We already know that higher levels of vitamin D can reduce the risks of developing breast and bowel cancer, but that’s not the same thing as suggesting high vitamin D concentrations can prevent cancer. Future studies may give us a better idea about how much vitamin D we should have in our blood and may discover more about the vast benefits of this wonder vitamin.

The Latest Breakthroughs in Gut Bacteria Research

Jun 14 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

From brain function to metabolic function, the mountains of gut bacteria research over the past few years have only just begun to reveal how the trillions of microorganisms that reside in our guts impact our health. Here’s a roundup of some of the most recent research into our gastrointestinal microbiota and its implications on health.

New Insights Into Gut Bacteria’s Role in Neurological Conditions

Scientists are working to form a better understanding of how the connection between our gut and brain affects the central nervous system. Previous studies have highlighted the fact that the gut microbiota in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) differs from the bacteria found in those without multiple sclerosis. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital have been focusing their efforts on exploring the gut-brain connection to better understand this link to multiple sclerosis. In their most recent work, the Brigham team investigated interactions between gut microbes and two particular types of glial cells, astrocytes and microglia, known to play major roles in the central nervous system.

While other studies in the field have explored how byproducts from the microorganisms living in the gut may cause brain inflammation, the team’s newest study is the first to examine how microbial byproducts may prevent inflammation. In their research, they discovered that when the microbes in the gut process tryptophan, an amino acid that is commonly associated with turkey, they produce compounds that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and activate an anti-inflammatory pathway that restricts neurodegeneration.

The pathway in question has also been associated with both Alzheimer’s disease and glioblastoma. The team believes their research may be useful in understanding other neurologic conditions outside of multiple sclerosis.

According to Francisco Quintana, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard and one of the co-authors of the study, “it is likely the mechanisms we’ve uncovered are relevant for other neurologic diseases in addition to multiple sclerosis. These insights could guide us toward new therapies for MS and other diseases.”

The study has been published in the journal Nature. The team plans to delve deeper into the gut’s connection to neurologic conditions. Their findings may one day help guide future therapies for those suffering from neurologic disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

“These findings provide a clear understanding of how the gut impacts central nervous system resident cells in the brain. Now that we have an idea of the players involved, we can begin to go after them to develop new therapies,” said Dr. Quintana.

Microorganisms in the Gut Trigger Antitumor Response in the Liver

While other studies suggest that the gastrointestinal microbiota influences immune response to cancer, it has not been understood if or how this occurs in the liver. Liver cancer is one of the topmost causes of cancer-related deaths in the world. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2018 alone, over 40 thousand Americans will be diagnosed, and around 30 thousand will die from some form of liver cancer. In a recent study led by scientists from National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Research (NCI CCR) and published in the journal Science, researchers sought to better understand the relationship between gut flora, liver cancer and the body’s immune response.

The researchers discovered that when they used an antibiotic cocktail to essentially wipe out the gut microbiota, tumors in the liver were fewer and smaller, and there was a reduction of other cancers spreading to the liver.

According to study lead Tim Greten, M.D., “what we found using different tumor models is that if you treat mice with antibiotics and thereby deplete certain bacteria, you can change the composition of immune cells of the liver, affecting tumor growth in the liver. This is a great example of how what we learn from basic research can give us insight into cancer and possible treatments.”

The team investigated the immune cells in the liver to understand the underlying mechanisms behind the tumor suppression. In their research, the team demonstrated that a particular species of bacteria, Clostridium scindens, modified bile acids so that they would signal the liver to produce the CXCL16 chemokine. These signaling proteins stimulate the production of “natural killer T” (NKT) cells, which surveil the liver, reducing the growth of both primary and metastatic liver cancers. The team’s findings provide a better understanding as to the mechanisms that can lead to the development of liver cancer as well as the therapeutic approaches that may be used to treat them.

Gastrointestinal Flora Regulates Fat Stores

Obesity is becoming a growing epidemic and is the leading cause of potentially fatal health conditions like heart disease, stroke and some cancers. A new study led by scientists at King’s College London and published in the journal Nature examined just how the gut processes and stores fat throughout the body. Their findings suggest that putting on pounds is the result of diet and environment rather than genetics.

According to lead investigator Dr. Cristina Menni, “this study has really accelerated our understanding of the interplay between what we eat, the way it is processed in the gut, and the development of fat in the body, but also immunity and inflammation. We have been able to get a snapshot of both the health of the body and the complex processes taking place in the gut.”

In order to better understand how the underlying processes that occur in the gut affect fat processing and distribution, researchers analyzed the fecal metabolome in twin pairs. Their analysis revealed that the gut’s chemical processes were impacted more so by environmental factors such as diet than they were influenced by genetics.

“This new knowledge means we can alter the gut environment and confront the challenge of obesity from a new angle that is related to modifiable factors such as diet and the microbes in the gut. This is exciting, because unlike our genes and our innate risk to develop fat around the belly, the gut microbes can be modified with probiotics, with drugs or with high fiber diets,” said the study’s first author, Dr. Jonas Zierer.

Using the derived data, the researchers compiled a cross-reference of which bacteria were linked with what metabolites, creating a valuable resource that will help future researchers better understand how gut bacteria influences health.

Head of the research group, Professor Tim Spector said, “knowing that they are largely controlled by what we eat rather than our genes is great news, and opens up many ways to use food as medicine. In the future, these chemicals could even be used in smart toilets or as smart toilet paper.”

Can Consuming Dietary Flavonoids Help Protect Against Prostate Cancer?

May 29 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Flavonoids are a group of naturally occurring plant-derived compounds which are amongst the most powerful and abundant antioxidants in our diets. Growing evidence suggests that consuming flavonoids may protect against prostate cancer.

What Is Prostate Cancer?

Cancer begins when our cells begin to uncontrollably grow, divide, and, in some cases, spread. Nearly any cell in the body can become cancerous. Prostate cancer occurs when the cells within the prostate gland begin to grow out of control. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of non-skin cancer among men in the United States. Each year, nearly 200 thousand American men will be diagnosed, and almost 30 thousand will die from prostate cancer. Most cases develop in men that are over 65 years of age.

There are several different forms of prostate cancer. Though some forms may grow and spread quickly, cancer of the prostate is typically slow-growing and often presents no symptoms until advanced stages. Many older men may incur prostate cancer that never poses a threat to their health. In some cases, however, prostate cancer can be much more aggressive, growing rapidly and spreading to other parts of the body.

What Are the Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer?

Researchers are still trying to understand exactly what causes cancer of the prostate, but there are some known risk factors that may predispose a person to develop prostate cancer, risk factors such as:

Age. Cancer of the prostate is extremely rare in men who are younger than 40. The chance of developing prostate cancer begins to rise rapidly after the age of 50, with the majority of cases being diagnosed in men over 65 years of age.
Family Genetics. While most prostate cancers occur in those without a family history of the disease, its presence does seem to run in families, suggesting that there may be either inherited or genetic factors at play. Those with a brother or father with prostate cancer have twice the risk of developing the disease.
Ethnicity. Black men are the most at-risk for developing prostate cancer. In African-American men and African-Caribbean men, prostate cancer tends to occur earlier and grow more rapidly than in any other racial or ethnic group.
Geographic Location. Prostate cancer occurs most commonly in North American, European, Australian and Caribbean populations. Though the reasons are unclear, cancer of the prostate is much less common among Asian populations, however, the number of cases is increasing among those living in urban environments.

Flavonoids and Prostate Cancer: What Is the Link?

The lowest rate of prostate cancer risk can be found in populations who consume the largest amount of flavonoids. Thought to be partly due to a higher consumption of green tea and soy products, which are full of phytoestrogens, diets in East Asian countries are a hundred times more abundant in flavonoids than a Western diet, and they are significantly less likely to develop cancer of the prostate.

Corresponding observational studies have indicated that migrants who are born in Japan but move to the United States have a higher rate of prostate cancer than those living in Japan. For Japanese Americans who were born in the States, that rate increases even further, nearly matching that of white American men. This suggests that dietary, environmental and lifestyle factors play key roles in the occurrence of prostate cancer.

What Are Flavonoids?

In addition to being rich sources of essential vitamins and minerals, plant-based foods also contain many beneficial phytonutrients. Plants naturally produce these chemicals in order to promote growth and protect themselves from their environments. One class of these phytonutrients is flavonoids.

Flavonoids are a group of antioxidant compounds that can be found in fruits, vegetables and grains, as well as in the barks, flowers, stems and roots of plants. Over four thousand different flavonoids have been identified, which can be subdivided into several distinct groups, eight of which are considered to have any dietary significance: anthocyanins, chalconesflavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavanonols and flavanols (also called flavan-3-ols or catechins).

Flavonoids have become well known for their numerous beneficial health effects. Flavonoids possess anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, anti-oxidative and neuroprotective properties. They are an indispensable component in many different nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and medicinal applications. Consumption of flavonoids has been shown to promote longevity, restore intestinal microbiota, help with weight management, curb cardiovascular disease and possibly prevent cancer. There are also dietary supplements available that provide flavonoids like quercetin, catechins and more, although it’s important to note that taking a supplement should not substitute for obtaining these important nutrients from your diet.

Studies Have Shown Flavonoids May Protect Against Prostate Cancer

In a recent study that is set to be published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine, researchers directed their attention towards a select group of flavonoids known to have antiproliferative properties. Among the flavonoids that were tested, flavonols and catechins consistently showed a significant reduction in the risk of prostate cancer.

Another study, which was published in PNAS, shown green tea polyphenols, the best source of catechins, to destroy existing prostate cancer cells and stop the development of new ones, thereby inhibiting the development, progression and metastasis of prostate cancer in mice.

Several studies have exhibited the flavonoid quercetin to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells. In one study that was published in the journal Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, researchers from China’s Jiamusi University demonstrated that the flavonoids genistein, quercetin and luteolin stopped the development of prostate cancer cells in vitro. According to research published in Oncology Reports, quercetin has been shown to inhibit the development and progression of prostate cancer in both in vitro and in vivo models. Even though more human clinical trials are needed to prove the efficacy of flavonoid treatments, their data adds to growing evidence that flavonoids possess powerful preventative and chemotherapeutic properties.

Resveratrol Proven to Slow Brain and Muscle Aging

May 04 by Ewcopywriting Leave a Comment

Resveratrol is powerful phytoalexin, a group of naturally occurring antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds produced by plants, that can be found in red wine, raw cacao, pistachios, peanuts, and dark berries such as red grapes, blueberries and muscadines. Like other antioxidants, resveratrol can help the body to fight and repair cellular damage.

Research over the past decade has indicated that resveratrol could promote heart health and may also possess anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. Adding to its growing list of health benefits, a recent batch of studies suggests that resveratrol may repair and protect from damage to both muscle fibers and neural synapses brought upon by aging.

According to Dr. Gregorio Valdez, assistant professor at Virginia Tech and author of one such study, “we all slow down as we get older. Gait, balance issues, and impaired motor coordination contribute to health problems, accidents, lack of mobility and a lower quality of life. We work on identifying molecular changes that slow down motor deficits that occur with aging. I believe that we are getting closer to tapping into mechanisms to slow age-induced degeneration of neuronal circuits.”

Resveratrol Promotes Healthy Aging of Muscle Fibers

After reaching middle age, most adults will begin to lose an average of three percent of their muscle mass, strength and endurance each year. This age-related decline in muscular function referred to as sarcopenia greatly affects quality of life and may decrease life expectancy. According to recent research, resveratrol may both repair and protect against such muscular degeneration.

Regular exercise helps slow the loss of muscle mass but may also lead to muscle damage and joint pain in an already stressed body. Resveratrol has been shown in numerous studies to ease joint pain, reduce inflammation and repair the cartilage breakdown associated with arthritis. A new study out of Australia shows resveratrol is also beneficial in this way to the skeletal muscles. The team’s findings echo other research exhibiting how the administration of resveratrol greatly increases aerobic performance and both prevents and repairs damage to muscles that results from exercising.

Reduced blood flow due to age can be both a symptom of and contributing factor to muscular decline. A study led by researchers from Harvard and published in Cell found that resveratrol activates the same genes that normally respond to diet and exercise, healing the vascular system, improving blood flow and increasing endurance in elderly mice.

Muscle atrophy, a partial or complete wasting away of muscle tissue, can result from sarcopenia, inactivity, as well as neuromuscular disease. A research paper recently published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences examined the adaptive changes in muscles after inducing sciatic nerve damage in mice that were fed either a normal diet or a resveratrol-supplemented diet. Their research showed that resveratrol “significantly prevents” muscle atrophy.

Resveratrol Protects the Brain From the Effects of Aging

Skeletal muscles aren’t the only form of atrophy that resveratrol may prevent. Cerebral atrophy and the degradation of neuronal synapses are typical effects of the aging process and can ultimately lead to cognitive decline and memory problems as well as provoke interference with the body’s ability to deal with stress. Research shows resveratrol possesses several significant neuroprotective benefits.

Previous research has indicated that proper diet and exercise can help to neuronal synapses from the typical wear and tear of aging. In one study published in The Journals of Gerontology, researchers discovered that resveratrol has many of the same neuroprotective benefits of combining a low-calorie diet with regular exercise.

Other studies also seem to suggest that resveratrol may help to slow down age-related cognitive decline, protecting from and repairing damage done to the brain. Several studies indicate that the neuroprotective effects of resveratrol may make it a useful therapy for those suffering from cognitive disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Valdez concludes that for researchers, “the next step is to identify the mechanism that enables resveratrol to protect synapses. If we know the mechanism, we can modify resveratrol or look for other molecules that are more effective at protecting the synapses.”

Don’t Raise Your Wine Glass Just Yet

While resveratrol shows great potential, experts do caution that because of the relatively low concentrations of resveratrol found in food sources such as wine, people would not likely see the same massive neuroprotective benefits exhibited in the mice studies.

According to Valdez, “in wine, resveratrol is in such small amounts you could not drink enough of it in your life to have the benefits we found in mice given resveratrol. These studies are in mice and I would caution anyone from blasting their bodies with resveratrol in any form.”