New Study: Low Dose of Resveratrol Mimics Calorie Restriction Diet

In an interesting new study of resveratrol, researchers from the University of Wisconsin concluded that low doses of resveratrol mimicked the effects of a calorie restriction diet in mice. That is good news for those who have been reluctant to take mega doses of resveratrol but have chosen to take lower doses.

An abstract of the study follows:

Resveratrol in high doses has been shown to extend lifespan in some studies in invertebrates and to prevent early mortality in mice fed a high-fat diet. We fed mice from middle age (14-months) to old age (30-months) either a control diet, a low dose of resveratrol (4.9 mg kg−1 day−1), or a calorie restricted (CR) diet and examined genome-wide transcriptional profiles. We report a striking transcriptional overlap of CR and resveratrol in heart, skeletal muscle and brain. Both dietary interventions inhibit gene expression profiles associated with cardiac and skeletal muscle aging, and prevent age-related cardiac dysfunction. Dietary resveratrol also mimics the effects of CR in insulin mediated glucose uptake in muscle. Gene expression profiling suggests that both CR and resveratrol may retard some aspects of aging through alterations in chromatin structure and transcription. Resveratrol, at doses that can be readily achieved in humans, fulfills the definition of a dietary compound that mimics some aspects of CR.

A dose of 4.9 mg per kilogram of body weight was given to mice in a study reminiscent to the celebrated Harvard study in November 2006 by David Sinclair. The media attention that followed helped set the stage to orchestrate the IPO of Sirtris Pharmacueticals. From a resveratrol users perspective a 200lb. and 150lb. individual would take a daily dose of 445mg and a 334mg, respectively to mimic the doses in the study. Another interesting aspect was that the beneficial results were observed in "middle aged" mice as well as "old aged" mice. Surprisingly, the study concluded that Sirt1 levels were not over expressed as in previous studies although the health benefits were evident. To read the study in its entirety, click here.

To the Sirtuin Investor, a couple of questions: Will an even lower dose produce the same results? What are the implications of this study to the drug candidate NCE's of Sirtris Pharmacueticals that are 1,000 more times as potent as resveratrol?