Resveratrol & Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fat-like waxy substance that is produced in the body and is essential for normal function of several body organs. It is therefore normal and necessary to have certain levels of cholesterol in blood. However, excessive levels of cholesterol in blood may cause health problems, especially by clogging the blood vessels (atherosclerosis) which leads to cardiovascular disease.
Interestingly, not all types of cholesterol are bad; HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) is healthy and actually reduces the levels of LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) from blood and protects from heart disease. Therefore, the objective is to increase blood levels of HDL cholesterol and reduce LDL cholesterol. This can be achieved by diet and exercise. However, certain individuals fail to achieve these goals because of metabolic disorders or because of failure to maintain a healthy life style.
Many medications are available to control cholesterol levels in blood but they are almost always associated with side effects, some of which can be serious. Resveratrol on the other hand, may be an effective and safer option to control cholesterol levels and prevent cardiovascular disease.
Clinical and animal studies have shown that Resveratrol plays an important role in protecting against atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease by several mechanisms. Resveratrol was found to regulate vasodilator and vasoconstrictor production, inhibit oxidative stress/reactive oxygen species generation and inhibit modification of LDL (bad cholesterol). All of those processes are implicated in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
Resveratrol was also shown to have anti-inflammatory activity and the potential to suppress platelet aggregation, which also play a major role in clogging blood vessels.
Through all of those complex mechanisms, Resveratrol may play an effective role in slowing down the progression and preventing the complications of atherosclerosis. This remains a hot topic in research and more studies are being carried out to maximize the cardio-protective potential of Resveratrol.
References:
American Heart Association
Beneficial Effects of Resveratrol on Atherosclerosis. Enguo Fan, Lijuan Zhang, Sha Jiang, and Yuhua Bai. JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL FOOD 11 (4) 2008, 610–614
