Resveratrol Weight Loss – The 2024 factsheet

Fitness and health are the new mantras of our modern generation. It is difficult for most people to find time to exercise and eat healthy, nutrient-rich foods because of their busy schedules. As a result, they rely on antioxidant supplements. In recent years, weight-loss dietary supplements like resveratrol have become increasingly popular. Health-enhancing supplements containing resveratrol are among the most popular and preferred.

What is Resveratrol:

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol compound in plants that acts as an antioxidant. When plants are under attack by pathogens (bacteria or fungi), it protects them. Resveratrol can be found in several plants and red wine. Apples, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, mulberries, peanuts, and raspberries are the top foods high in resveratrol. These compounds are concentrated in the seeds and skin of grapes, peanuts, berries, and red wine.

Key Benefits of Resveratrol:

Resveratrol, like other antioxidants, protects the body against unstable molecules by capturing and defusing them. It throws them out of the cell environment. Resveratrol shields cells’ DNA and avoids cell damage caused by free radicals. Resveratrol has been involved in having a lot of health benefits such as:

• It can protect the heart and circulatory system by fitting several kinds of cancer cells. It might prevent cancer cells from replicating and spreading.
• Resveratrol may reduce the chances of heart attacks by lowering cholesterol levels and protecting against colt.
• Resveratrol supplements can lower sugar levels because of their antioxidant properties, which may help lower blood pressure.
• Drinking red wine can slow down age-based decline because of the anti-inflammatory activity of resveratrol. It may protect nerve cells or brain cells from severe damage.
• This could help in dealing with diabetes problems by preventing insulin resistance. It increases insulin sensitivity and protects the body from diabetes complications.

The Role of Resveratrol in Weight Loss

What’s up with all the Weight gain is a significant health problem worldwide, and its prevalence and severity are increasing. Therefore, the treatment of obesity has become a very important clinical and social task. Among the strategies for treating weight gain, resveratrol has received a lot of attention. Resveratrol is known as an anti-obesity agent because of its lipid-lowering and calorie-restricting properties.

Despite all the evidence supporting the exercise benefits of resveratrol, claims by manufacturers that supplements help people lose or maintain weight are difficult to substantiate. Collectively, systematic studies and meta-analyses have found that resveratrol intake significantly reduced body weight, BMI, WC, and body fat mass and significantly increased lean mass but had no effect on leptin and adiponectin levels.

You may find it interesting to explore how Berberine can affect weight loss.

What do Researchers Say About Resveratrol Weight-Loss Claims?

In recent years, many authors have studied the effects of resveratrol on obesity and metabolic syndrome. They have reported improvements in glucose homeostasis and reduced cardiovascular risk associated with obesity or weight gain. However, the exact mechanism by which resveratrol exerts its beneficial effects is not fully understood. Although, many studies have examined the beneficial effects of resveratrol in laboratory animals. There have been several often-conflicting studies in human clinical studies evaluating the outcomes of resveratrol weight loss.

• In the last several years, many researchers have studied the effects of resveratrol on weight gain and metabolic syndrome. Experts have reported recovery in glucose homeostasis and reduced cardiovascular risk associated with weight gain. However, the exact mechanism by which resveratrol exerts its beneficial effects is not fully understood.
• Experiments done on animal models have shown that resveratrol significantly reduces body weight. This model has an effect similar to a calorie restriction regimen. It also improved impaired mitochondrial function in many metabolic diseases and cellular insulin sensitivity in mice fed a high-energy diet.
• The endocrine system has shown in the laboratory that resveratrol inhibits the production of mature adipocytes and inhibits fat storage, at least at the cellular level. In addition, one study found that rats fed a high-fat diet containing resveratrol weighed about the same as mice fed a high-fat diet without supplements. However, it’s difficult to determine the real reason for maintaining weight because resveratrol appears to increase the ability to train more often and harder.
• Another study of rodents fed a high-fat diet supplemented with resveratrol noticed some weight loss. However, these results are inconclusive because of the dose variability in the study. In addition, in another study in rats fed a natural diet with or without resveratrol for 15 weeks, resveratrol did not cause statistically significant changes in body weight.

Consequently, the effectiveness of resveratrol supplements in weight loss is ambiguous. With over 100 human clinical trials of resveratrol currently underway, evidence-based reactions may occur.

Precautions Before Taking Resveratrol Weight Loss Supplements

• Consult your doctor: If you are allergic to resveratrol or any other medicine, talk to your doctor before taking resveratrol. This medicine may contain some inactive ingredients that may cause severe allergic reactions or other serious problems. Check with your doctor before using this medicine if you have blood, kidney, gastrointestinal, or stomach problems.
• Risk of bleeding: Resveratrol can slow blood clotting and increase the risk of bleeding in people with bleeding disorders. Resveratrol can slow blood clotting and increase the risk of bleeding in people with bleeding problems. To minimize the risk of bleeding, people who have had surgery should stop taking resveratrol 2 weeks before surgery and resume it 2 weeks later.
• Oestrogenic activity & Hormone’s sensitivity: Because this drug has low oestrogenic activity, women with cancer or other oestrogen-sensitive conditions should consult their physician before taking it.
• Surgery: People who have had surgery should stop taking resveratrol 2 weeks before surgery and should not take it for 2 weeks after surgery to reduce the risk of bleeding.

Conclusion

Overall, many preclinical studies have also reported that resveratrol improves glucose metabolism and homeostasis, suggesting that it could be used as a therapeutic strategy in the fight against obesity. However, evidence from human studies is scarce, sometimes conflicting, and inconclusive. Therefore, until higher-level research is done, experts do not recommend it as a supplement to weight loss or prevent disease. While there is no good reason to forgo resveratrol for weight management or any other purpose, there is likewise no good reason to expect miraculous results.

References: 

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33487308/