Resveratrol may help counter diabetes

Arizona, USA-based nutraceutical company Baywood International says that data from a new study indicates that the antioxidant resveratrol, found in red wine, may counter diabetes and insulin resistance.

The work, which was conducted by researchers at China's Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, suggests that resveratrol supplementation reduced the development of resistance to insulin in murine models of type 2 diabetes. The team believe that resveratrol's benefits are related to its interaction with the SIRT1 gene, which is known to increase insulin sensitivity. However, principle investigator Qiwei Zhai cautioned that, to obtain comparable quantities to those used in the trial, around 15 milligrams, people would need to drink around three liters of red wine a day.

Nevertheless, Baywood welcomed the results, and suggested that they add weight to the use of products such as Resveratrol Life Tonic, launched last year by its LifeTime subsidiary, as part of a diabetes control strategy. The American Diabetes Association estimates that around 20.8 million US citizens, around 7% of the population, suffer from diabetes. In 2002, the total economic burden of the disease was $132.0 billion, $92.0 billion of which was due to medical expenditure, comprising $23.2 billion for care, $24.6 billion for related complications and $44.1 billion for associated medical conditions.