Resveratrol’s impact on the cardiovascular system | David Sinclair
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An abundance of scientific research suggests that resveratrol, a plant-based compound found in red grapes and peanuts, exerts beneficial health effects in rodents. Resveratrol is a "dirty molecule," however, known for its multiple cellular targets, so teasing out all the ramifications of its use has proven problematic. Furthermore, it is relatively unstable and demonstrates poor bioavailability in humans. In this clip, Dr. David Sinclair identifies some of the practical considerations of resveratrol supplementation and discusses his personal use of the compound.
David: But resveratrol, I still take resveratrol, probably a gram or so every morning.
Rhonda: A gram? Really?
David: Yeah. In my yogurt. I don't measure it out, I just shake it in. So it might be half a gram to a gram.
Rhonda: Is this from your own, like, stash or is it like a...
David: It's a stash in the basement. I've had it for years.
Rhonda: It's a private stash?
David: It is. I'm not a drug dealer.
Rhonda: Because I don't usually find doses of resveratrol above 250 milligrams, I think.
David: Yeah. Right. You made a good point, which is it's a really insoluble molecule and that's one of the... Well, there are two problems with resveratrol, one is it's really insoluble. So if you just give it as a dry powder to an animal or a human, it's less likely to get absorbed. We know that as a fact. Include it with a bit of fat, it'll go up five to tenfold in the bloodstream.
Rhonda: Really?
David: It's like a big effect we've seen in mice and monkeys, it was with a bit of fat in the diet as well. And then the second problem with resveratrol is that it's light-sensitive. And so those people who...researchers who put it in a plate with worms or didn't treat the molecule with respect, it goes brown. It goes off. It's one of the reasons it's very hard to put in a cosmetic because your cosmetic will turn brown. If you use brown resveratrol, it won't work. So you've got to keep it in the dark, in the cold, and it'll be fine.
Rhonda: Okay. So...
David: Or in a basement.
Rhonda: ...cold, dark, and also I think there's various forms like trans-resveratrol.
David: I'd go for the trans because when we gave the cis form to the sirtuin enzyme, it didn't activate it, but the trans worked brilliantly. Yeah. Rafa de Cabo, actually, he's been a good friend over the years. A great colleague. He did the study with us on the mouse, resveratrol study that showed that on a high-fat diet, those mice were extremely healthy and longer-lived and their organs, when they opened up the mice, they were pristine. So the mice were still obese, so we didn't give them a lot of resveratrol, it was pretty low dose, but their organs were so beautiful. Their arteries, when you stain them for oil or fat, it was night and day. The ones on resveratrol or the ones without resveratrol were stained with fatty lumps. resveratrol, clean. And that alone makes me say, you know, resveratrol's probably not going to hurt me and it may very well help my cardiovascular system.
Any of a group of complex proteins or conjugated proteins that are produced by living cells and act as catalyst in specific biochemical reactions.
An essential mineral present in many foods. Iron participates in many physiological functions and is a critical component of hemoglobin. Iron deficiency can cause anemia, fatigue, shortness of breath, and heart arrhythmias.
A chemical that causes Parkinson's disease-like symptoms. MPTP undergoes enzymatic modification in the brain to form MPP+, a neurotoxic compound that interrupts the electron transport system of dopaminergic neurons. MPTP is chemically related to rotenone and paraquat, pesticides that can produce parkinsonian features in animals.
A polyphenolic compound produced in plants in response to injury or pathogenic attack from bacteria or fungi. Resveratrol exerts a diverse array of biological effects, including antitumor, antioxidant, antiviral, and hormonal activities. It activates sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), an enzyme that deacetylates proteins and contributes to cellular regulation (including autophagy). Dietary sources of resveratrol include grapes, blueberries, raspberries, and mulberries.
Resveratrol Autophagy ↑ Deacetylases (especially SIRT1) → ↓ Protein Acetylation → Autophagy
A class of enzymes that influence that influence aging and longevity through multiple molecular pathways. Sirtuins regulate a variety of metabolic processes, including release of insulin, mobilization of lipids, response to stress, and modulation of lifespan. They also influence circadian clocks and mitochondrial biogenesis. Sirtuins are activated when NAD+ levels rise. The dependence of sirtuins on NAD+ links their enzymatic activity directly to the energy status of the cell via the cellular NAD+:NADH ratio, the absolute levels of NAD+, NADH or nicotinamide or a combination of these variables. There are seven known sirtuins, designated as Sirt1 to Sirt7.
The highest level of intake of a given nutrient likely to pose no adverse health effects for nearly all healthy people. As intake increases above the upper intake level, the risk of adverse effects increases.
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