Study: Resveratrol a smoker’s best friend?

By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

- Last updated on GMT

Photo Credit: Steven Duong, Flikr
Photo Credit: Steven Duong, Flikr

Related tags Resveratrol Antioxidant

Resveratrol supplements could hold cardiovascular benefits for smokers, a new study has suggested.

The research, published in the journal Current Medicinal Chemistry​, suggests that resveratrol’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hypotriglyceridemic effects could mean that supplementation of the polyphenol may be beneficial in tackling the cardiovascular risks of otherwise healthy smokers.

The study found that resveratrol (Transmax from Biotivia) significantly reduced C-reactive protein (CRP), the protein found in the blood which rises in response to inflammation, and triglyceride concentrations, a type of fat found in the blood, as well as increased Total Antioxidant Status values.

The Italian researchers say this is the first look at resveratrol’s potential effect on smokers to date.

A question of dosage?

25 of the 50 participants took 500mg of resveratrol per day for 30 days followed by 30 days of no supplementation and then a further 30 days of placebos. The remaining 25 participants started with the 30 placebo days and finished with the resveratrol.

A 50% reduction in the CRP concentration was recorded after one month of resveratrol supplementation. The researchers noted that this rate was superior to the 26% reduction rate recorded in a previous study which looked at the effect of an 8 mg supplementation trial over a period of one year.

“Therefore it could be hypothesised that resveratrol has a dose dependent ability to decrease the levels of stimulatory cytokines which affect the release of CRP from the liver,”​ the researchers wrote.

They said that resveratrol also helps counteract the oxidative stress of smoking by reducing free radical damage in airway cells.

Additionally, it was hypothesised that the supplement releases fat from peripheral depots to be metabolised by muscles. This significant reduction of triglyceride has led the effects of resveratrol to be likened to that of endurance training, according to the study.

Where there’s smoke there’s… heart disease

All of the 50 adult smokers involved were aged 20-50 and smoked at least 5 cigarettes a day, with a history of smoking more than 20 packs a year as well as consuming an average of 30g of alcohol per day. The participants were established as otherwise healthy by ruling out complicating factors like cardiovascular disease, impaired renal function and hypertension. They were not taking any other medication or supplements at the time of the trial.  

The study did not record any changes to the weight, waste circumference, blood pressure or other metabolic variables of the participants.

The researchers recommended further resveratrol research be conducted with smokers with a chronic inflammatory condition like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  

Source: Current Medicinal Chemistry
Vol. 20, Iss. 10, pp. 1323-31, doi: 10.2174/0929867311320100009
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of resveratrol in healthy smokers a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial”
Authors: S. Bo, G. Ciccone, A. Castiglione, R. Gambino, F. De Michieli, P.Villois, M.Durazzo, P. Cavallo-Perin, and M. Cassader

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3 comments

The study source

Posted by naturahealing,

The study material for this trial was provided by Biotivia Srl in the form of Transmax 500. Transmax has also been used as the active medical ingredient in human clinical trials at over 50 medical schools, research institutions, and government health ministries in the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, the UK, Asia, Australia, Brazil, and several other countries. Biotivia also provided placebos, knowledge transfer and other assistance to the Torino trial.

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Resveratrol Dosage

Posted by Laszlo G Meszaros,

The 500 mg dose is far too high to talk about specific resveratrol effect. It is simply a polyphenol (most likely a direct antioxidant) effect. Not a smart study... You get similar results using grape seed procyanidines (which act as antioxidants).
As we have published in a couple of papers on human clinical tials, the specific resveratrol effects you observe at 10-20 mg daily.

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Biotivia supplied the Transmax

Posted by James Betz,

This is a study that we, Biotivia, supplied the Resveratrol for, in the form of Transmax. Biotivia has working trial and development collaborations also with Bologna Univ., Ferrara Univ., Catania Univ, and has agreed a partnership with Padua Univ. under which we will support one full time post doctoral researcher, and our scientists and those of Padua will work together on further developing Resveratrol and Pterostilbene and other chemopreventative molecules. There will be additional study results from Torino and other European, Canadian, US and Asian medical schools which have used Transmax, Transmax TR, and Bioforte in their human clinical trials.

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