Resveratrol improves glucose and other factors in clinical trial

The trial enrolled 66 type 2 diabetic men and women residing in Iran, a country that has a high prevalence of diabetes. Participants were supplemented with 1 gram resveratrol or a placebo daily for 45 days. Weight, blood pressure, fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1C, insulin, insulin resistance, triglycerides, lipids, and markers of liver and kidney function were assessed before and after treatment.

At the study’s conclusion, subjects who received resveratrol had experienced lower systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1C, insulin and insulin resistance, and demonstrated an increase in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. While glucose declined by an average of 34.93 milligrams/deciliter (mg/dL) among those who received resveratrol, subjects who received the placebo experienced an average increase of 9.89 mg/dL as well as a rise in low density lipoprotein (LDL).

“Based on the outcomes of recent clinical trials, there is now a reasonable amount of scientific evidence to support the claim that resveratrol is beneficial against chronic diseases,” authors Ali Movahed and colleagues write. “The present study supports the strong antidiabetic effect of resveratrol reported in numerous animal studies, as well as the effects observed in the human studies. It also supports the case for resveratrol supplementation over a short term. Nevertheless, well-designed clinical trials with resveratrol supplementation in a larger type 2 diabetes mellitus population and over a longer duration are required to recommend the use of resveratrol independently or as an adjunct in diabetic population.”