Resveratrol May Prove Useful in Fight Against Diabetes

Resveratrol is a natural compound that is a rich source of polyphenols, a type of antioxidant, that also activates sirtuin, a family of proteins associated with cellular longevity.  In that studies on lab animals show that orally delivered resveratrol exerts potent anti-diabetic effects,  Giorgio Ramadori, from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (USA), and colleagues explored the underlying mechanism of this benefit. The researchers found that resveratrol acts directly on certain proteins in the brain, thereby normalizing hyperglycemia and greatly improving hyperinsulinemia in diet-induced obese and diabetic mice, these effects being independent of changes in body weight, food intake, and circulating leptin levels.    The team suggests that: “[O]ur results unveiled a previously unrecognized key role for the CNS in mediating the antidiabetic actions of resveratrol,” and hopes these findings will lead to new approaches for diabetes prevention in humans.