Science short
Resveratrol’s inflammatory potential boosts bone health in obese men: Study
The gold standard double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled research was conducted in Denmark at Aarhus University Hospital gave the men with an average age of 49 and body mass index (BMI) of 33.7 either 1000mg, 150g or placebo daily via supplements.
The primary endpoint was change in bone alkaline phosphatase(BAP) and this measure improved significantly over 16-week study compared to placebo.
“The increase in bone formation and/or mineralisation could explain the temporary decrease in serum levels of ionised calcium, due to calcium deposition in the bone and this decrease in calcium would tend to stimulate PTH secretion and thereby counteract the expected decrease in PTH with increasing vitamin D,” the researchers speculated.
Resveratrol is a powerful polyphenol and anti-fungal chemical that is often touted as the bioactive compound in grapes and red wine. Interest in the compound exploded in 2003 when research from David Sinclair and his team from Harvard reported that resveratrol was able to increase the lifespan of yeast cells.
According to Sinclair’s findings, resveratrol could activate a gene called sirtuin1 (Sirt1 – the yeast equivalent was Sir2), which is also activated during calorie restriction in various species, including monkeys.
Other studies with only resveratrol have reported other benefits, including supporting heart health, blood sugar management, and energy endurance enhancement.
“To gain better insight, future studies should include double-labeled bone biopsies useful to determine for example mineral apposition rate and to quantify osteoclasts by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining,” the researchers said.
Source:
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
October 2014 (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.2014-2799)
Authors: Marie Juul Ornstrup, Torben Harsløf, Thomas Nordstrøm Kjær, Bente Lomholt Langdahl, Steen Bønløkke Pedersen
