Does Resveratrol Mimic the Anti-Aging Effects of Calorie Restriction?
One reason that resveratrol is thought to have life extension effects is because it mimics calorie restriction, but a new review suggests this is not the case.
Wine, peanut butter, and chocolate
Most kids, at some point, want to grow up (foolish, I know that now). But no one wants to grow old. After all, where’s the fun in feeling your body crumble?
So, since at least 4,000 BC, humanity has been on the lookout for the elixir of life. No success so far.
At the current state of knowledge, for all of us a declining immune system, increased risk for cancer increases, muscle loss, stiff joints, loose connective tissue, and a memory with increasing holes await.
Yet we remain undeterred in the quest for immortality (or at least a longer, healthy life).
What do we really know so far? Well, we can look at places where people live long, healthy lives. An example are the Blue Zones, five regions where people have a roughly ten time higher chance of becoming a healthy centenarian.
A quick summary of the Blue Zones’ main lessons: Move gently throughout the day, eat mostly plants and don’t overdo it on the calories, have a reason to wake up, don’t stress, and be socially engaged.
Right now, these five factors are some of the best things to keep in mind if you want to increase your odds of aging in good health.
But who would be satisfied with that? We want immortality, not 100 or 110 years, dammit. I joke, of course. Still…
Scientists continue to look for medicinal options, and many compounds have been suggested to have ‘anti-aging effects’. Here’s an overview.
One of the popular supplements in the anti-aging world is resveratrol, a compound in grape skin, cocoa powder, and peanuts.
Wine, chocolate, and peanut butter? Sing me up.
(I don’t drink, but will take an extra serving of chocolate, please.)
I should add that the use of resveratrol in terms of fighting aging is not without its critics.
Resveratrol versus calorie restriction
The reason that some people have suggested resveratrol might work is because it mimics the effects of calorie restriction. By reducing the number of calories consumed, many different species seem to live (a lot) longer. (Again, a caveat: the evidence for this in primates and humans is wonky at the moment, and this blog post provides an excellent perspective on calorie restriction as anti-aging method. For one, the control group is often allowed to eat as much crap as they desire…)
In (very) short, resveratrol activates sirtuins, which are proteins involved in a lot of cellular maintenance processes. Calorie restriction also activates these sirtuins.
So, if resveratrol allows us to reap the benefits of calorie restriction for aging (if they exist in humans), then we don’t have to diet until we go nuts.
A new review collects the studies that directly pit a resveratrol group against a calorie restriction group (7 studies in mice, none in humans).
Here’s the overall result (RSV = resveratrol, CR = calorie restriction, BW = body weight):
In most studies retrieved by this systematic PubMed search, mice supplemented with RSV did not show significant reductions of BW, glucose, or insulin. Moreover, in some of these studies, RSV and CR treatments affected molecular targets differently and/or findings on RSV and CR impacts varied between trials… current evidence does not fully support its use to prevent or treat age- or obesity-related diseases.
Of course, this comprises only seven studies, and only studies on mice (additionally, 6 of these studies were only done with male mice). But, as in most anti-aging hype, there is reason for caution, and relevance for context.
To conclude;
To date, to prolong the healthspan, it seems that trying to increase the compliance for known lifespan-prolonging interventions, such as dietary changes and exercise, may yield more success than supplementation of single dietary factors such as RSV.
Diet and lifestyle might not be as sexy as a magic pill, but it’s the best we’ve got for now.