In recent years, resveratrol supplements have garnered new attention in the realms of healthy aging (including physical signs and in the context of fertility), healthy weight and body composition, and the longevity of the cardiovascular system. Naturally occurring in red wine, resveratrol benefits have been suggested to be the secret to the “French Paradox”: why the French population seems to have very low levels of heart trouble despite a high rate of smoking and a diet typically high in saturated fat (think cheese and butter).
Resveratrol Benefits: What’s a “Super Antioxidant”?
Resveratrol is an antioxidant, meaning it scavenges and clears out free radicals, the harmful byproducts of cell metabolism and the cause of physical aging. Holistically, antioxidants promote increased longevity of the body and support healthy aging through mechanisms related to eye health, bone health, and heart health.
Free radicals build up faster when we expose the body to toxins and stress, but increasing your intake of antioxidants can help to fight overproduction. However, you’d have to drink A LOT of wine every day to get all the resveratrol in Metabolic Maintenance’s Resveratrol with Piperine supplement. And with a supplement, you can skip the after effects of alcohol.
Resveratrol supplements are “nutraceuticals”. Nutraceuticals are dietary supplements that provide a concentrated form of a health-promoting bioactive agent found in food, but in higher doses than can be achieved by eating whole foods. Below, you will find information on what makes resveratrol an excellent supplement to benefit the health of your heart, weight maintenance, and the balance of your hormones and fertility.
1. Heart Health with Resveratrol
Cardiovascular health is central to the heart’s ability to pump adequate circulation to meet the metabolic demands of organs and tissues [1]. Although the most promising evidence has so far been in preclinical trials, data shows that resveratrol promotes health of the cardiovascular system.
Studies have shown a benefit of resveratrol supplementation in promoting healthy blood pressure, arterial health, and many other aspects of cardiovascular health [2]. It is likely that some of the beneficial cardiovascular benefits of resveratrol are mediated through activation of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1), AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and other endogenous antioxidants [2]. Resveratrol also supports healthy inflammation, insulin sensitivity, and healthy lipid levels, which all contribute to a healthy cardiovascular system [2].
2. Weight Maintenance with Resveratrol
Resveratrol appears to activate enzymes that help muscles use oxygen more efficiently. This means energy production process is more efficient, leading to more endurance and stamina when exercising. More stamina means a longer workout is possible, which means more calories burnt. This effect is likely due to the fact that resveratrol promotes production of molecules called sirtuins, which may, in turn, increase the number of mitochondria– the machinery inside cells that turn oxygen and glucose into ATP energy [3].
Clinical studies have shown that people taking resveratrol were able to exercise at the same intensity as those who were not taking resveratrol, while maintaining a lower heart rate and exerting less effort, without any additional training [3]. On the cellular level, resveratrol also appears to increase the uptake of glucose by muscle cells, inhibiting production of mature fat cells, and hindering fat storage [4]. This effect could also contribute to a weight management plan, as long as you are exercising and taking advantage of all that extra glucose energy.
In both men and women, resveratrol supplementation can provide benefits that mimic caloric restriction by improving metabolic profiles and overall health parameters [5,6].
3. Fertility with Resveratrol
Female Fertility
First, resveratrol can help balance estrogen levels in some women [6]. Estrogen is not only produced by the ovaries, but also by adipose (fat) tissue. The problem with estrogen from adipose tissue is that there is no system that regulates it like the negative feedback loop that limits ovarian estrogen [6]. Unbalanced hormone levels, in both men and women, can have a detrimental effect on fertility.
Another specific, yet common factor in female fertility, affecting somewhere between five and six million women in the US alone, are cysts on the ovaries [7]. Typically, women with this issue produce higher levels of testosterone than normal, which can contribute to unwelcome changes to body composition and infertility. Resveratrol has shown exciting promise in improving the fertility rates for women with this particular challenge, by supporting healthy levels of testosterone production [5, 8].
Women with healthy hormonal levels and healthy body composition may also see beneficial effects of resveratrol on their fertility, especially those of a more advanced age. Age-related infertility is often due to the loss of viable eggs and follicles as we get older. There is often a link between the loss of viability and the accumulation of free radicals, leading to DNA mutations, protein damage, telomere shortening, and apoptosis (cell death) [8]. Resveratrol may stave off some of these effects through its potent antioxidant activities, which include enhancing telomerase activity, protecting mitochondrial function, and activating genes that fight physical changes that accompany aging [8]. By preventing oxidative damage, resveratrol could promote the extension of a woman’s fertile years.
Male Fertility
That’s not all! Men’s fertility can benefit too. As men age, it is very normal for testosterone levels to slowly decline [9]. Low testosterone in men can lead to a number of symptoms that may result in reduced fertility. A Korean study reported that men’s testosterone levels were actually supported by resveratrol consumption [9]. Sperm quality can also improve, demonstrating that resveratrol benefits both sexes to help balance out hormones or boost chances of conception [9].
Resveratrol + Piperine
There’s one hurdle: by itself, the bioavailability of resveratrol is very low, and the human body metabolizes it very quickly. The uptake of resveratrol by the organs that use it depends on its concentration in the circulation, but circulating levels do not increase in parallel to the dose administered. The limiting factor in the bioavailability of resveratrol is inefficient absorption by the gut [1]. Resveratrol typically brakes down through the process of digestion before it reaches the site of absorption.
This is where piperine comes in: piperine is an alkaloid isolate from black pepper, that inhibits the metabolism of certain chemicals containing glycosidic bonds, a process called glucuronidation. When we take resveratrol in combination with piperine, the metabolism (or glucuronidation) of resveratrol is significantly slower, giving the gut more opportunity to absorb resveratrol, leading to a higher circulating resveratrol level, and more opportunity to induce its advantageous effects throughout your body [10].
Metabolic Maintenance has made this co-administration easy by adding piperine directly to its resveratrol supplement, maximizing its benefits. Their resveratrol has been isolated from a clean source of Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) roots and combined with piperine at the same ratio as was determined to be most effective in the study conducted by Johnson, et al. showing metabolic benefits of piperine on resveratrol [10].
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0024320513007583
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443914003226
- https://www.fitnessmagazine.com/mind-body/supplements/weight-loss/resveratrol-the-new-weight-loss-supplement/
- https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05845.x
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S155041311100386X
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12967-014-0223-0
- https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/101/11/4322/2765013
- https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/28/3/707/937635
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12272-008-1124-7
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/mnfr.201100117