HEART DISEASE, DIABETES, COLORECTAL CANCER, ADHESIONS

Heart Disease, Diabetes, Colorectal Cancer, Adhesions

I salute your interest in Resveratrol and clinical studies associated with it.  If you are fairly new to this site, I would suggest scrolling down to the very first posting which is at the very bottom or end of this blog.  It gives background to this site.  For the record, there are now 4919 scientific articles on Resveratrol published in medical journals in the National Library of Medicine.  That is where the following articles come from, www.pubmed.com.

HEART DISEASE  From the Russian Academy of Medical Science in Moscow comes a review article on dietary polyphenols, of which Resveratrol is a part.  They showed that several studies link a decrease in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rate with certain diets.  Diets rich in vegetables, fruits, unrefined cereals, legumes, nuts, garlic, olive oil and red wine.  Mediterranean diets incorporate the above and are associated with lower CVD mortalities. Resveratrol is a part of this cardioprotective action.

Bratisl Lek Listy 2012: 476-80

DIABETES  A study from a pharmacy college in India was published using human subjects with Type II diabetes on oral medications.  Half of the 62 patients were given their usual oral medications and the other half received 250 mg per day along with their regular medications for three months.  The Resveratrol group had a significant improvement in Hemoglobin A1c (a measure of blood sugar control), decreased blood pressure, and decreased total cholesterol.  There was no change in body weight or HDL (the good cholesterol).  The conclusion was that “Resveratrol is thus found to be effective in improving glycemic control” and may “provide  a potential adjuvant for the treatment and management of diabetes”.

Nutr Res 2012 July 537-41

COLORECTAL CANCER Another human study. A researcher from St James University Hospital in West Yorkshire, UK published his study of patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis  (FAP).  This a group of people who have inherited a gene which causes multiple polyps in the colon which in turn increases the risk of getting full-blown colorectal cancer.  Half of a group of these people were given supplemental Resveratrol and the other not.  The group treated with with the nutriceutical product had fewer and smaller polyps on colonoscopy than the untreated group.  Phase III trials are starting on this subject.

Recent Results Cancer Res 2012: 143-56

COLORECTAL CANCER  Colon cancer ranks third in cancer related mortalities, and certain phytochemicals including Resveratrol are being studied to prevent the onset of colon cancer.  A group from Meharry Medical Medical College in Nashville, TN took a group of mice and fed half with a chemical (benzo-a-pyrene) which causes colon cancer, for 60 days.  The other half was fed the chemical along with Resveratrol for 60 days.  The mice were then killed and the number of tumors in each animal was counted.  The Resveratrol group had fewer tumors.  They also had fewer areas of pre-cancer changes and under the microscope Resveratrol sped up cancer cell deaths  and decreased cell growth

J Nutr Biochem 2012 Aug.

ADHESIONS  At the Ankara Education and Research Hospital in Turkey, post-operative adhesions were studied.  This formation of troublesome scar tissue is a common problem after pelvic surgery.  A group of of rats was divided into thirds.  One third got Resveratrol 10 days before and 20 days after surgery.  The second third received Resveratrol orally for 20 days after surgery and the remainder received nothing.  They all were operated on in the pelvic area.  The rats were then killed 3 weeks later and studied for the number of adhesions and the severity of the adhesions.  Both Resveratrol groups did much better than the non- Resveratrol group.  The first group did much better with Resveratrol given before and after surgery than the second group.  Giving Resveratrol before and after pelvic surgery is an effective way to prevent or minimize adhesions after pelvic surgery in rats.

Hum Fertil 2012 Aug 9

Hopefully something in these articles was of interest.  We are starting to see more human studies and Resveratrol research is looking at a wider variety of places where it can be beneficial.  As always, I still believe Shaklee’s Vivix to be the most potent, purest,and most effective source of Resveratrol.

Until next time,

Dr Bob

PREGNANCY, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, BREAST CANCER, VERTEBRAL DISC DISEASE, DIABETES, LEARNING, CORN SYRUP, COLON CANCER

Welcome back to those who are not new to this post.  In these blogs, I review articles publishes on Resveratrol from around he world.  As mentioned previously, they are posted by the National Library of Medicine found at www.pubmed.com.  Some of my blogs are on specific subjects.  This one is on randomly selected subjects.  As they say on IRON CHEF AMERICA, “enjoy”.

PREGNANCY  From the University of Alberta, comes a study on hypoxemia, which is low oxygen in the blood, during pregnancy.  This can result is serious negative effects on the fetus.  Pregnant rats were put on Resveratrol and then allowed to breathe air with half of the oxygen levels as normal air.  The pregnant rats had almost a complete reversal of miscarriages compared to a group of hypoxemic pregnant rats not on Resveratrol.  Resveratrol crosses the placenta and has a beneficial effect on the fetus directly.

Placenta 2012 Feb

CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE  From the Xuzhou Medical College in China comes a study on coronary artery disease.  A group of pigs was divided into three smaller groups--Resveratrol,  nitroglycerin and a control group.  Each pig then had a coronary artery blocked by a balloon, simulating a heart attack.  After the heart attack, the coronary which had been blocked was injected either with Resveratrol, or Nitroglycerin.  The blood flow in the heart muscle was then measured and was much greater in the Resveratrol treated heart.  The conclusion was that Resveratrol could significantly improve blood flow through heart through alternative vessels.  The logical extension would be to inject Resveratrol into the heart of a person having a heart attack.  It appears to be safe but we may never see this done in our lifetime.

Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi 2011 Oct pp946-9

BREAST CANCER  The University of North Dakota School of Medicine published a complex paper on the chemical causes of breast cancer and how Resveratrol at different doses can prevent some of the chemical changes that can result in less breast cancer.  I include this study because there was a benefit from Resveratrol and it is a human study.

Nutr Cancer 2012 Feb

VERTEBRAL DISC DISEASE  From Rush University Medical Center in Chicago comes a study of bovine (cow) and spinal cartilage (discs).  This was a cell culture study where cells from the spinal discs of cows were exposed to Resveratrol.  There was a potent stimulation of ceil growth which could slow the progression of the degeneration of discs.  This suggests “Resveratrol may have considerable promise in the treatment of disc degeneration.

Spine 2008 Nov pp 2586-95

DIABETES  The College of Medicine at Chang Gung University looked at muscle wasting in diabetics.  Rats became diabetic after being exposed to streptozotocin. Resveratrol was then given to half of the rats and muscle mass was compared to diabetic rats not on Resveratrol.  There were multiple pathways in which there was loss of muscle mass in the diabetic rats on Resveratrol, along with improved energy metabolism.

Am J Phyiol Endocrinol Metab 2011 July

AGE RELATED LEARNING DISORDERS  The Miami VA Hospital researched the subject of learning disorders in the elderly.  There are a variety of causes of the condition called dementia, but one of them was a poor blood supply to the brain.  There is a chronic inflammation of blood vessels that can change the blood supply to brain cells.  A variety of berries and grapes were studied and there was a common beneficial compound in all of the natural products, which improved blood supply—Resveratrol.  In several studies, learning in elderly rats improved on Resveratrol.  It worked best if rats were started on it before learning difficulties began.  We have seen the neuroprotective effects of Resveratrol in a variety of brain problems.

Br J Nutr 2012 Apr

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP  At the Gazi Institute in Ankara, Turkey, high fructose corn syrup was studied because it is a common food additive in a large number of food products.  It turns out that high fructose corn syrup consumption causes increased triglycerides, increased VLDL, and increased insulin and blood pressure. Resveratrol restored the high fructose corn syrup changes to normal. Resveratrol “has a protective potential against the harmful consequences of high fructose corn syrup consumption.”

Food Chem. Toxicol 2012 Mar

COLON CANCER  Finally, from the University of Barcelona, came a review article on the protective effects of Resveratrol from the changes that cause colon cancer. Resveratrol will slow the growth of cancer cells and increase the death rate of these same cells.  It is also effective in preventing the onset of colon cancer in lab animals exposed to chemicals that cause colon cancer.  It also decreases pre-cancerous changes, and in lab animals on Resveratrol which get colon cancer, the cancers are smaller and fewer in number.  Again, a natural product exists to offset the risk of one of the more common cancers.

Pharmacol Res 2012 Mar

I know this is a real hodge podge but it is also a tasting from a variety of different issues. Resveratrol, the active ingredient in Shaklee’s VIVIX can improve your health in a variety of different ways.

Welcome to my blog which is dedicated to medical research on resveratrol, an extract from certain fruits which has positive medical effects.  It was discovered over forty years ago but most of the research on it has been done in the past five years.  As of this month, over 4100 articles on resveratrol have been published in medical journals.  Each month I highlight recent research and all of my information comes from pubmed.com, a branch of the National Library of Medicine which is free and open to anyone.

Heart Health:  The University of Manitoba in Canada published a paper on heart cels in rats with high blood pressure.  Half were given resveratrol and the other half not.  When heart cells are exposed to noradrenaline, a hormone produced during stress, they enlarge to produce a stronger contraction.  In the short term that is a good thing but in the long term it can ultimately lead to heart disease.  Hypertension accelerates these changes.  All of the rats were sacrificed and their heart muscle studied under a microscope.  Resveratrol prevented the noradrenaline induced enlargement of the heart muscle cells in the rats with high blood pressure.  Eur J Pharmacol July 2011

Diabetes:  In diabetics, hardening of the arteries or arteriosclerosis occurs earlier and faster than in nondiabetics.  From the University of Texas San Antonio comes a paper reporting on diabetic mice.  Half had resveratrol added to their diet and the other half did not.  They were then all fed a high fat diet and given a drug to speed up the artery-hardening process.  After 11 weeks  all the mice were killed and the arteries were examined for hard areas caled plaques.  The  resveratrol supplemented mice had 31% fewer plaques than those not supplemented.  Yet another reason to add  resveratrol to our diet.  Atherosclerosis June 2011

Heart Health:  "Calorie restriction is one of the most effective nutritional interventions that reproducibly protects protects agaist obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease."  It is safe and effective. Resveratrol is the most widely studied molecule that appears to mimic calorie restriction.  The two appear to work in a similar fashion to prevent arteriosclerosis, reduce blood pressure, prevent dangerous increases in heart cell size (see the first article) and heart failure prevention.  So far all of the research has been on animals.  Because it is safe and effective, the authors suggest that it is time for human studies.  Biochim Biophys Act.  July 2011

Human Research:  From the University of Pennsylvania comes a paper explaining why most of the research on natural products like  resveratrol is done on lab animals and cell cultures.  First there is no monetary incentive to do human research using a product that other companies have access to.  There is no patent protection, and therefore extremely risking profit potential. Secondly, because  resveratrol is not patentable , nutriceutical companies make a product blended with other natural products to make their own proprietary blend making it extremely difficult to compare their data with that from other labs and othe companies using different blends or even pure  resveratrol.  Thirdly, natural supplements commonly have multiple targets with different dose response profiles, tissue distributions, and modifiers.  The few human studies "combined with a growing list of animal studies provide a strong justification for further study."  Whether that includes human research is uncertain.  J Gerontol A Biol lSci Med Sci July 2011

Cancers:  There were two papers published on  resveratrol and two cancers that are difficult to treat.  From Southeast University Nanjing, China is a study of pancreatic cancer cells in cultures and how  resveratrol speeds up cell death.  There was no toxicity in normal pancreatic cells.  The more rapid cancer cell deaths hold promise as a new way to treat pancreatic cancer.  From the Fourth Military Hospital in China comes an article on glioblastoma cells.  This is a type of brain cancer that is also difficult to treat successfully.  In cultures of glioblastoma cells, when  resveratrol is added it not only speeds up cell deaths but also slows the growth in living cancer cells.  This all occurred without toxicity.  Chin Med J June 2011  Oncol Rep July 2011

Diabetes:  From Rhode Island Hospital, Providence comes a paper on Yorkshire miniswine.  The animals were divided into three groups.  One was given a regular diet, another a high fat diet, and the third a high fat with  resveratrol.  Blood sugars and insulin levels were measured.  The high fat group had increased insulin and blood sugar levels over the other two groups.  All the animals were then euthanized (killed) and muscle and liver tissues were studied.  The conclusion was that  resveratrol "positively influences sugar metabolism pathways in liver and muscle and leads to improved sugar control in swine"  Arch Surg May 2011 556-64

Diabetes:  A smilar study was done at the German Food Research Center for Food Chemistry in Freising.  Rats were studied. Half were supplemented with  resveratrol and all were fed a high carbohydrate diet.  The  resveratrol group had a 35% decrease in sugar and a 41% decrease in insulin over the non-treated group.  0ol Nutr Food Res July 2011

Prostate Cancer:  A paper from the University of Mississippi looked at how  resveratrol helps prevent the onset of  prostate cancer.  Prostate cells in culture dishes were exposed to a chemical that causes normal prostate cells to turn into cancer cells.  Half were pretreated with  resveratrol.  Through a compound called microRNA, the  resveratrol caused a decrease in the cancer causing effect of the carcinogen and increased tumor suppression by the normal cells.  Whether the microRNA is the actual pathway is unclear but my bottom line is that fewer normal cells turned into cancer cells. Mol Nutr Food Res June 2011

As you can see,  resveratrol can be used to prevent certain conditions like hardening of arteries, and can also be used to control diabetes, prevent or treat cancers and protect the heart.  Remember that Shaklee's  resveratrol, VIVIX, is ten times as potent as other products out there.  Food for thought for the health conscious perso.

Until next time,

Dr Bob

MALE HEALTH

MALE HEALTH

Welcome once again to those who share an interest in resveratrol. As you know, resveratrol is an extract of various fruits such as blueberries and grapes. It’s various properties studied in labs include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, blood sugar lowering, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anticancer, and improved healing. The following are summaries of articles from medical journals on resveratrol from the National Library of Medicine.

TESTOSTERONE From the Chongbuk National University in Korea comes a study of rabbits with resveratrol added to their diet. After 28 days on resveratrol, the rabbits had an increase in blood testosterone of 51.6%, and testicular sperm counts of 15.8% and a 23.3% in epididymal sperm motility. These same rabbits also had stronger erections. There is a positive effect on the reproductive function in rabbits on resveratrol. Arch Pharm Res 2008 June; 31 (1) 83-87

TESTOSTERONE Rats were studied at the University of Barcelona in Spain. Half of a group of adult male rats were fed resveratrol and the other half not. After 90 days the participants were sacrificed and the testicular tissue was studied under the microscope. The resveratrol group had about twice the sperm count as the control group with no difference in the quality of the sperm. The resveratrol group also had higher testosterone levels, and there no side effects from the resveratrol. J Nutr Apr 2005 135: 757-60

PROSTATE CANCER From the University of Mississippi comes a study on prostate cancer. They studied human prostate cancer cells growing as a culture and the microRNAs they contain. Some microRNAs stimulate cancer cells to grow faster, and others slow the growth. In cells exposed to resveratrol the growth microRNAs are decreased and the suppression microRNAs are increased resulting in a much slower growth rate. Mol Food Res 2011 Aug; 55 (8): 1219-1229

CANCER The M D Anderson Cancer Center published a review article about tumors developing resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, so they are looking for effective chemosensitizers, drugs making the tumor cells more sensitive to chemo. Resveratrol can sensitize tumor cells to a variety of chemotherapy drugs. Tumor cells in cell cultures which have been chemosensitized include lung cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, prostate cancer, oral epidermoid cancer, pancreatic cancer, promyelocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma. Their conclusion was that resveratrol can be used to sensitize tumor cells to standard cancer drugs. Ann NY Acad Sci 2011 Jan; 1215: 150-60

PROSTATE CANCER At the University of Texas San Antonio, human prostate cancer cells were implanted into mice. Half of the mice were pre-fed resveratrol. The mice were later killed and examined, looking for tumor size, and the number of metastases. The resveratrol group had smaller tumor sizes and fewer metastases than the control which did not receive resveratrol. None of the mice survived the study and it is a stretch to say that resveratrol should be used in prostate cancer patients, but it can’t hurt. PLoSOne 2010 Dec 28; 5(12): e15627

PROSTATE CANCER I know you are seeing a pattern here, but I am a urologist, so indulge me. We’ve seen articles on treating existing prostate cancer. Let’s look at something that might prevent prostate cancer. There is a virus called SV40 Tag which will cause prostate cancer when injected into mice. At the University of Alabama, half of a group of mice were fed resveratrol and the other half not. They were then all injected with SV40 Tag. The mice were then killed 12 or 30 weeks after the injection and checked for prostate cancer. You guessed it. The resveratrol group had more mice without prostate cancer than the group not on resveratrol. There was a significant number of cancers that were prevented. This paper then went into the various pathways involved in cancer prevention. Prostate 2009 Nov 1; 69(15) 1668-82

In this blog I have concentrated on male health. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. The risk goes up if there is prostate cancer in a relative. As noted in other blogs, there are a variety of sources of resveratrol on the market. Vivix from the Shaklee Corporation is ten times stronger than its closest competitor. Why not go for the best.

Until the next time,

Dr Bob