Researchers: Jacob L Bitterman, Jay H Chung
Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in a number of plant-based foods such as red wine, has received a great deal of attention for its diverse array of healthful effects. Beneficial effects of resveratrol are diverse; they include improvement of mitochondrial function, protection against obesity and obesity-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes, suppression of inflammation and cancer cell growth and protection against cardiovascular dysfunction, just to name a few. Investigations into the metabolic effects of resveratrol are furthest along and now include a number of clinical trials, which have yielded mixed results. There are a number of controversies surrounding resveratrol that have not been resolved. Here, we will review these controversies with particular emphasis on its mechanism of metabolic action and how lessons from resveratrol may help develop therapies that harness the effects of resveratrol but without the undesirable properties of resveratrol.
References
- Different dietary restriction regimens extend lifespan by both independent and overlapping genetic pathways in C. elegans.
- SIRT1 is required for AMPK activation and the beneficial effects of resveratrol on mitochondrial function.
- SIRT1 is required for AMPK activation and the beneficial effects of resveratrol on mitochondrial function.
- Resveratrol as a calorie restriction mimetic: therapeutic implications.
- The lifespan extension effects of resveratrol are conserved in the honey bee and may be driven by a mechanism related to caloric restriction.
- Resveratrol delays age-related deterioration and mimics transcriptional aspects of dietary restriction without extending life span.
- Rapamycin, but not resveratrol or simvastatin, extends life span of genetically heterogeneous mice.
- Evaluation of resveratrol, green tea extract, curcumin, oxaloacetic acid, and medium-chain triglyceride oil on life span of genetically heterogeneous mice.
- The effect of resveratrol on lifespan depends on both gender and dietary nutrient composition in Drosophila melanogaster.
- Resveratrol delays age-related deterioration and mimics transcriptional aspects of dietary restriction without extending life span.
- Small molecule SIRT1 activators for the treatment of aging and age-related diseases.