Diabetes is caused by defective insulin function. Insulin is a hormone that helps cells use blood glucose for energy. Without insulin, high levels of glucose build up in your bloodstream. If not treated, diabetes can lead to serious complications and can cause premature death. The grape seed polyphenol resveratrol exhibits in vivo anti-diabetic effects. Consult your doctor, however, before using resveratrol or any other supplements.
Alternation in Gene Expression
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and the National Institute on Aging investigated the effect of resveratrol on gene expression pattern in mice with type 2 diabetes. The results showed that resveratrol shifted the gene expression pattern that is associated with rapid development of diabetes mellitus in diabetic mice. Blood glucose levels were also significantly reduced after resveratrol treatment. David Sinclair, Ph.D., a Harvard Medical School professor, and Rafael de Cabo, Ph.D., an investigator from the National Institute on Aging, are optimistic that these results of experimental studies on mice will also be reflected in human trials.
Impaired Glucose Intolerance
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University investigated the impact of resveratrol in subjects with diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance. With IGT, or impaired glucose tolerance, your blood glucose levels are above normal but are not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. This condition is also known as prediabetes. IGT increases your risk of experiencing a heart attack and stroke by 50 percent. Resveratrol has been shown to improve glucose metabolism and normalize blood sugar levels in subjects with prediabetes as well as type 2 diabetes, says Dr. Jill Crandall, a professor of clinical trial and the director of the Diabetes Clinical Trials Unit, which conducts research and testing on new-industry sponsored treatments for diabetes and its complications.
Diabetes-induced Heart Disease
Cardiovascular disease is more common in diabetics than the rest of the population. Investigators from the University of Missouri-Columbia, showed that resveratrol may confer a cardioprotective effect in diabetic individuals in vivo. The cardioprotective mechanisms of resveratrol are associated with increased nitric oxide production and suppression of oxidative stress, according a study published in the "American Journal of Physiology" in 2010. Nitric oxide partially regulates blood vessel dilation, and by extension, blood flow.
Dosage and Safety Issues
Resveratrol may provide benefits to diabetics, but no human trials have assessed the optimum therapeutic dose and dosing frequency. Animal studies indicate that daily doses of 500 mg may be reasonable. Breast cancer patients should not take resveratrol in their diets. Resveratrol has estrogenic property and may spur the growth of existing hormone-induced breast tumors.
References
- Medline Plus: Diabetes
- Harvard Medical School: Small Molecule Increases Lifespan and "Healthspan" of Obese Mice; John Lacey; Nov. 1, 2006
- "American Journal of Cardiology"; Changes in Diastolic Dysfunction in Diabetes Mellitus Over Time; Aaron M. From et al; April 3, 2009
- "American Journal of Physiology"; Resveratrol Improves Left Ventricular Diastolic Relaxation in Type 2 Diabetes; H. Zhang et al; October 2010
- Yeshiva University: Albert Einstein College of Medicine: Albert Einstein College of Medicine to Study Impact of Resveratrol on Prediabetes; Jill Crandall; Dec. 7, 2010
- NYU Langone Medical Center: Resveratrol
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