In 2008, over two-thirds of American adults were overweight or obese, and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 20 percent of children above the age of six were frankly obese. As the obesity epidemic takes its toll in increased medical costs and reduced quality of life, more overweight individuals are adopting dietary and lifestyle changes to take control of their health. Resveratrol, a natural compound found in grapes and red wine, may offer some assistance in your weight loss efforts, but check with your physician to see if it is appropriate for you.
Metabolism
Your metabolic rate has a great deal to do with how easy or difficult it is to lose weight. The slower your metabolism, the more likely you are to gain and retain weight. Although exercise is inarguably the best way to increase your metabolic rate, obesity makes exercise more difficult. According to a study published in the March 2010 issue of “Diabetes,” resveratrol activates an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase, or AMPK, which enhances cellular fuel consumption and increases metabolic rate.
Insulin Resistance
Insulin is a hormone secreted by your pancreas whenever your blood glucose level rises. Insulin stimulates the cells in your liver, muscles and adipose tissue to absorb and metabolize glucose. Insulin also prevents your body from breaking down fat for energy. As you gain weight, your cells become increasingly resistant to the effects of insulin, making it harder and harder to lose weight. By triggering AMPK, resveratrol increases insulin sensitivity, which improves both carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
Exercise Tolerance
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to lose weight and maintain weight loss without exercising. Joint pain, decreased mobility and embarrassment often interfere with physical activity in overweight individuals, but poor endurance is a major factor in exercise avoidance. Resveratrol activates two cellular proteins – SIRT1 and PGC-1alpha – that increase the efficiency of mitochondria, enhance aerobic capacity and improve exercise tolerance in animal models. This same mechanism has been credited with resveratrol’s ability to increase the lifespan of laboratory animals.
Considerations
Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol found in red wine and other plant sources, activates a variety of enzymes in your cells. The physiologic changes triggered by these enzymes could enhance your body’s ability to burn energy and improve your exercise tolerance, which should help with weight loss. Since the majority of resveratrol-based research has been performed in laboratory animals, the optimal dose of red wine extract for weight loss or any other purpose in humans has not been determined. Furthermore, it is not clear if heavier individuals need higher doses of resveratrol to obtain equivalent benefits. Products offering doses from 15 to 1,500 milligrams are commercially available. Ask your doctor if resveratrol could be beneficial for you.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: FastStats – Obesity and Overweight
- “Diabetes”; AMP-Activated Protein Kinase-Deficient Mice Are Resistant to the Metabolic Effects of Resveratrol; J. Um, et al.; March 2010
- “Cell”; Resveratrol Improves Mitochondrial Function and Protects against Metabolic Disease by Activating SIRT1 and PGC-1α; M. Lagouge, et al.; December 2006
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