Special Edition: Blood Sugar Management
Resveratrol
Resveratrol, a powerful polyphenol often touted as the bioactive compound in grapes and red wine, has been researched for its potential to manage blood glucose levels.
A 2014 meta-analysis of 11 studies providing data from 388 people found that daily intake of resveratrol may improve glucose control and insulin sensitivity in people with diabetes.
However, the potential blood sugar management potential of the grape compound may be limited to diabetics, with no benefits observed for non-diabetic persons, wrote the authors from the Third Military Medical University in China in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Commenting on the potential mechanism of action for blood sugar control in diabetics, the researchers noted that the compound has been shown to activate Sirt1, which influences energy restriction and therefor blood sugar. The compound has also been reported to increase the expression of an insulin-dependent glucose transporter called GLUT4. A third option is that resveratrol may boost the uptake of glucose uptake in the absence of insulin.
In terms of resveratrol’s effect on insulin, the benefits may be linked to an ability to inhibit the secretion of insulin by pancreatic cells, or via anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
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