Resveratrol Recommended as an Adjuvant Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes

People with type 2 diabetes should take supplementary resveratrol in addition to their standard antidiabetic medication, so say the authors of 2 recently published studies. In the first study, Dr Ali Movahed of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of resveratrol in lowering blood glucose in the presence of standard antidiabetic treatment. A total of 66 subjects with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to an intervention group – supplementary resveratrol 1 g/day for 45-days – or a control group which received placebo tablets. Results showed that resveratrol treatment significantly decreased systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin, and insulin resistance, while significantly raising “good” HDL cholesterol. The authors concluded: “Some of the observed reductions in HbA1c and [increases in] HDL with resveratrol supplementation are very significant that they can be compared to benefits achieved with front line antidiabetic drugs. Other important observations which stem from this study are that: (a) 1 g/day of resveratrol supplementation for 45-days had no adverse effects in type 2 diabetic patients and (b) resveratrol not only complemented standard antidiabetic medication but also provided added protection (over standard antidiabetic therapy).” In the second study, Professor Moola Joghee Nanjan of Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara University College of Pharmacy, India, and colleagues studied 62 patients with type 2 diabetes. Participants were randomized into control and intervention groups. The control group received only oral hypoglycemic agents, whereas the intervention group received resveratrol (250 mg/d) in conjunction with their oral hypoglycemic agents for a period of 3-months. Results showed that resveratrol supplementation led to significant reductions in HbAqc, systolic blood pressure, and total cholesterol. However, unlike the Iranian study, resveratrol did not have any significant impact on HDL cholesterol levels. The authors concluded: “Oral supplementation of resveratrol is thus found to be effective in improving glycemic control and may possibly provide a potential adjuvant for the treatment and management of diabetes.”