14 DAY TRIAL // Resveratrol compound naturally occurring in the skin of red grapes and cranberries boosts muscle endurance and also helps mice stay trim, according to the findings of a recent study carried out by a team of researchers at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cell Biology in Illkirch, France. Taking into account the high potency of resveratrol chemical to increase muscle endurance, it may be one day used as a natural physical performance enhancer for athletes and not only. Prof. David Sinclair of the Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts, US also pinpointed the fact that red grapes compound may be used in the future for preventing muscle wasting in elderly people.
Lead researcher of the study Dr. Johan Auwerx of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch said that earlier study linked the natural compound to prolonged lifespan and a considerable decrease in risks for obesity, diabetes and related conditions: "The compound resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes and cranberries, was known to activate SIRT1, an enzyme known to be involved in lifespan extension. Our study shows that activation of SIRT1 by resveratrol is a very promising and well-tolerated approach to treat common metabolic diseases, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes."
The researching team also explained in their report published in the Cell Journal that red wine chemical is so effective in boosting physical endurance because it increases and activates mitochondria components within muscle cells, which are primarily responsible for energy-producing. However, large amounts of resveratrol were needed to enhance performance in mice, as "at very low doses you don't activate the cell machinery to burn energy," pointed out Dr. Auwerx.
The study was conducted on mice so far and the rodents have been assigned to 2 groups: a group which received a high fat diet and resveratrol supplements and a group which received only a high-fat diet. Overall results of the study showed that the animals in the resveratrol group weighed only 20% more than rodents on a standard diet, while animals in the high-fat diet only gained 60% more body weight than rodents on a standard diet. Moreover, resveratrol supplements doubled athletic endurance in mice in the treatment group and the chemical was found in tests to have no toxic side effects.
However, experts warn that further studies on humans are still needed, as the mice needed considerably lower levels of resveratrol to perform better in fitness tests than humans would. Sirtris CEO Dr. Christoph Westphal stated: "Native resveratrol from red wine or nutraceuticals cannot reach therapeutic levels in man. You would need to drink hundreds of glasses of red wine or take hundreds of nutraceutical pills in a day to get a therapeutic dose."