Resveratrol, a chemical found in the skin of red grapes and in red wine, improved the sensitivity of mice to insulin in a study conducted by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai. The result could lead to new treatments for type 2 diabetes, in which human cells lose their sensitivity to insulin.
The study showed that resveratrol activates an enzyme called SIRT1. This enzyme, in turn, suppresses the activity of a molecule called PTP1B, which ordinarily works to decrease insulin activity. SIRT1 levels were reduced in the animals’ insulin-resistant cells. Increasing SIRT1 activity with resveratrol improved insulin sensitivity by acting on PTP1B.
"When you suppress PTP1B, insulin activity improves," Young-Bum Kim, an assistant professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston said in an editorial accompanying the publication of the study in the journal Cell Metabolism.
One of the most striking findings of the study was that much lower levels of resveratrol than in previous trials were able to increase the animals’ sensitivity to insulin. Janice M. Zabolotny, an instructor in medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess and co-author of the editorial said: "This paper is different from previous reports in that lower doses were effective."
A statement by Qiwei Zhai, lead author of the study, recommended caution to resveratrol enthusiasts, noting that those who have been drinking red wine might "think about drinking less." Previous studies had indicated that a human would have to drink about 120 liters of red wine in a day to get the benefits seen in animals. The new results reduce that amount to a still-substantial three liters. "An even better option may be to find other natural foods enriched with resveratrol or foods supplemented with resveratrol," Zhai said.
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