Sunday, January 31, 2010

The Start of 2010


The advantage to having your own blog is total flexibility. Thus the Christmas/New Year hiatus. But resveratrol research marches on. My last check last week showed that there are 3071 articles published on resveratrol in medical literature. A few of these showed that there are resveratrol-like compounds in nature that can be converted to resveratrol in the body. One example is pterostilbine found in blueberries, with their own health benefits. Here are some recent articles.
1. Ulcers: Stomach and duodenal ulcers are associated with a bscterial infection of Heliobacter pylori. One treatment is antibiotics and acid blockers. A study from Italy showed that resveratrol alone without any prescription drugs blocked the growth of this bacteria; a safe, natural treatment or preventative for ulcers. (J Chemother Nov 2009 pp 507-13)
2. Hypertension: A study from Spain showed that a strain of overweight rats called “obese Zucker rats”     routinely had high blood pressure and all the potential risks associated with high blood pressure. When given low levels of resveratrol, their blood pressure returned to normal, in addition to normalizig their increased blood fats, increasing sensitivity to insulin and had an anti-inflammatory effect on the joints of these “fat rats”. What a bonus. (Biochem Pharmacol Mar 2009, pp 1053-63)


3. High cholesterol: This is an interesting article combining what we call traditional medicine, prescription medications, with alternative medicine, herbs and food supplements. From the University of Connecticut is a study looking at a combination of statin drugs and resveratrol given to a strain of rats with high cholesterol and greatly increased risk of coronary artery disease. The combination resulted in a cardioprotection against myocardial infarction in these rats. This shows that supplements such as resveratrol are not an either/or but can be a combination of both working in concert. (J Mol Cell Cardiol Mar 2007 pp 508-16)


4. Pancreatitis: This condition is an inflammation of the pancreas that can result in the body digesting its own tissues. There is very little in the way of medications to treat this condition. We offer IV fluids, pain control and hope. The Chinese offer one of the few human studies on resveratrol using it to treat severe acute pancreatitis. Resveratrol was given to people with severe acute pancreatitis and in a variety of different pathways including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and regulation of calcium metabolism, along with slowing of speed of cell death, people got better from a previously untreatable condition. They recommended more research on this subject but the early studies are very encouraging. (Front Biosci Jan 2010 pp 168-76)
More studies to come. Thank you for your interest.


Dr. Bob

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