Resveratrol may improve cholesterol levels, suggests new study out of Mexico
More specifically, out of the 71 people who participated in the study, the 35 that were given resveratrol supplements showed a significant decrease in total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations compared with the placebo group, the authors reported.
The study is currently in press, due for publication in the upcoming edition of peer-reviewed journal Nutrition, but available online.
“Our findings agree with a previous clinical trial that reported a significant reduction in total cholesterol concentration after resveratrol supplementation (250 mg/day) in patients with type 2 diabetes,” the authors wrote, citing a 2012 paper.
Researchers used a readily available trans-resveratrol called Veratrol, manufactured by Mexican OTC firm Gelpharma. The authors are affiliated with the Mexican Institute of Social Security, and declared that the study design and results were independent to the institute with no influence from manufacturers.
Human studies are scarce
The authors noted that there was one meta-analysis published in 2013 that found no significant effect of resveratrol on lipid profile.
“This inconsistency may be related to different types and doses of resveratrol used by the included studies in that meta-analysis,” they argued.
They also noted that studies in humans evaluating the effect of resveratrol on lipid profile as a primary outcome are scarce, and argued that the strength in their methodology lies in the fact that study participants were newly diagnosed with high cholesterol, thus having no exposure to previous lipid-lowering treatment.
Study details
Researchers took baseline measurements of the 71 participants’ weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
Participants ingested the 100 mg/day resveratrol or sucrose placebo for two months before their post-intervention measurements were collected.
There was no significant impact observed of resveratrol supplementation on HDL and LDL cholesterol.
“Probably the short treatment duration was the main limitation of our trial. Therefore, although there were no side-effects during follow-up period, the long-term events and safety of resveratrol remain to be assured in future studies,” wrote the authors.
Source: Nutrition
Published online, accepted manuscript, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2018.06.015
“Effect of resveratrol supplementation on lipid profile in subjects with dyslipidemia: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial”
Authors: Luis E. Simental-Mendía, Fernando Guerrero-Romero
