18 replies to this topic

[malbecman]

This is one of the more interesting in vivo studies I've seen lately although the dose is a pretty whopping one at 4 g/kg. I think some of these
effects in this study are ones that some of us have noticed in ourselves albeit perhaps at a lower level.....


J Physiol. 2012 Apr 2. [Epub ahead of print]
Improvements in Skeletal Muscle Strength and Cardiac Function Induced by Resveratrol Contribute to Enhanced Exercise Performance in Rats.

Dolinsky VW, Jones KE, Sidhu RS, Haykowsky M, Czubryt MP, Gordon T, Dyck JR.

University of Alberta;

Abstract


Exercise training (ET) improves endurance capacity by increasing both skeletal muscle mitochondrial number and function, as well as contributing to favourable cardiac remodelling. Interestingly, some of the benefits of regular exercise can also be mimicked by the naturally occurring polyphenol, resveratrol (RESV). However, it is not known whether RESV enhances physiologic adaptations to ET. To investigate this, male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to a control chow diet or a chow diet that contained RESV (4g/kg of diet) and subsequently subjected to a program of progressive treadmill running for 12-weeks. ET-induced improvements in exercise tolerance were enhanced by 21% (p<0.001) by the addition of RESV to the diet. In soleus muscle, ET+RESV increased both the twitch (1.8-fold; p<0.05) and tetanic (1.2-fold; p<0.05) forces generated during isometric contraction, compared to ET alone. In vivo echocardiography demonstrated that ET+RESV also increased the resting left ventricular ejection fraction by 10% (p<0.05), and reduced left ventricular wall stress compared to ET alone. These functional changes were accompanied by increased cardiac fatty acid oxidation (1.2-fold; p<0.05) and favourable changes in cardiac gene expression and signal transduction pathways that optimized the utilization of fatty acids in ET+RESV compared to ET alone. Overall, our findings provide evidence that the capacity for fatty acid oxidation is augmented by the addition of RESV to the diet during ET, and that this contributes to the improved physical performance of rats following ET. PMID: 22473781

[niner]

Those are pretty big changes in these rats. The dose isn't as crazy as it sounds, because it's 4g/kg diet, not per kg body weight. Exactly how that would translate to a human dose is still a question, but it's probably within the realm of doses that people here have used. It's making me think of the bike racing trainer who posted here a ways back, and the results he saw in his riders. I wonder how many (or if any) athletes are quietly using resveratrol?

[malbecman]

Good point on the dose, niner, I missed that. For those who want the shortened version, here is the "Key Points Summary" from the first page of the paper.

KEY POINTS SUMMARY
• Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, has beneficial effects on cardiac and
skeletal muscle function, similar to the effects of endurance exercise training.
• Combining resveratrol supplementation with exercise training augments the beneficial
effects of exercise alone.
• We show that endurance capacity is enhanced in rats whose diet includes resveratrol
during a 12-week endurance-training program.
• Increased endurance was associated with increases in skeletal muscle force, cardiac
function, and oxidative metabolism at macroscopic and genomic levels.
• Our results establish that resveratrol is an effective ergogenic aid that enhances exercise
performance over exercise alone.

[malbecman]

Here is the dose on a mg/kg body weight basis from the paper. It's in line with previous studies.

"Throughout a 12 week period
between the ages of 10 and 22 weeks, rats had free access to drinking water and were fed ad
libitum with either an AIN93G standard chow diet (Table 1), or an AIN93G standard chow diet
that contained 4g RESV/kg diet (Dyets Inc., Bethlehem, PA), a dosage that is equivalent to
~146mg resveratrol/kg body weight/day, which is consistent with previous studies (Lagouge et
al., 2006; Dolinsky et al., 2011). We did not observe any negative consequences from
supplementing the diets of the rats with RESV at this dose."

[Raptor87]

Hmm, seems that I might buy some resveratrol after all. I was very sceptical at first hand because I don´t see any real evidence of it supporting health and longevity in a long term basis except on animal testing. But if it supports endurance in a short period of 12 weeks then it is worth a try. Thanks for posting!

[bixbyte]

This is one of the more interesting in vivo studies I've seen lately although the dose is a pretty whopping one at 4 g/kg. I think some of these
effects in this study are ones that some of us have noticed in ourselves albeit perhaps at a lower level.....


J Physiol. 2012 Apr 2. [Epub ahead of print]
Improvements in Skeletal Muscle Strength and Cardiac Function Induced by Resveratrol Contribute to Enhanced Exercise Performance in Rats.

Dolinsky VW, Jones KE, Sidhu RS, Haykowsky M, Czubryt MP, Gordon T, Dyck JR.

University of Alberta;

Abstract


Exercise training (ET) improves endurance capacity by increasing both skeletal muscle mitochondrial number and function, as well as contributing to favourable cardiac remodelling. Interestingly, some of the benefits of regular exercise can also be mimicked by the naturally occurring polyphenol, resveratrol (RESV). However, it is not known whether RESV enhances physiologic adaptations to ET. To investigate this, male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to a control chow diet or a chow diet that contained RESV (4g/kg of diet) and subsequently subjected to a program of progressive treadmill running for 12-weeks. ET-induced improvements in exercise tolerance were enhanced by 21% (p<0.001) by the addition of RESV to the diet. In soleus muscle, ET+RESV increased both the twitch (1.8-fold; p<0.05) and tetanic (1.2-fold; p<0.05) forces generated during isometric contraction, compared to ET alone. In vivo echocardiography demonstrated that ET+RESV also increased the resting left ventricular ejection fraction by 10% (p<0.05), and reduced left ventricular wall stress compared to ET alone. These functional changes were accompanied by increased cardiac fatty acid oxidation (1.2-fold; p<0.05) and favourable changes in cardiac gene expression and signal transduction pathways that optimized the utilization of fatty acids in ET+RESV compared to ET alone. Overall, our findings provide evidence that the capacity for fatty acid oxidation is augmented by the addition of RESV to the diet during ET, and that this contributes to the improved physical performance of rats following ET. PMID: 22473781

___________________
Need 300 grams a day and I would run like superman!
I'm taking 1.5 grams per day.

[niner]

a chow diet that contained RESV (4g/kg of diet)

Need 300 grams a day and I would run like superman!

You're eating 75 kilos of food a day?

[bixbyte]

a chow diet that contained RESV (4g/kg of diet)

Need 300 grams a day and I would run like superman!

You're eating 75 kilos of food a day?

Ohhh the weight of the food not the weight of the rat.
I eat about one half of a Kilogram of food per day.
That would be 2 grams of Resveratrol per day.
I supplement with 1.5 grams of 98 - 99 % Resveratrol per day.
A 10% improvement in ventricular ejection factor in Rats.
On the treadmill I am running at 4.1 to 4.2 MPH and my heart rate is close to my resting state.
Now, it makes sense.

[maxwatt]

The bike coach who posted his results and those of his riders used 400 mg a day, and noted a performance improvement in three months. What he noted was a continued improvement in AT and power at a point when there would have been a plateau in his normal training cycle.

As for athletes using this, I suspect they have more potent things in their arsenal, which are not being publicized.

[Mind]

Hmm, seems that I might buy some resveratrol after all. I was very sceptical at first hand because I don´t see any real evidence of it supporting health and longevity in a long term basis except on animal testing. But if it supports endurance in a short period of 12 weeks then it is worth a try. Thanks for posting!

The most notable(beneficial) result in human studies so far was with obese subjects. Some of their health metrics improved with resv supplementation. Perhaps Maxwatt or Niner can find the forum discussion on that one. I forgot where it was.

[Mind]

Improvements in Skeletal Muscle Strength and Cardiac Function Induced by Resveratrol Contribute to Enhanced Exercise Performance in Rats

The bike result is interesting, but not double blind placebo as far as I am aware.

Just making sure that everyone is aware of the caveats.

[Raptor87]

Improvements in Skeletal Muscle Strength and Cardiac Function Induced by Resveratrol Contribute to Enhanced Exercise Performance in Rats

The bike result is interesting, but not double blind placebo as far as I am aware.

Just making sure that everyone is aware of the caveats.

One day when we all will become rats, only then will this kind of research come in handy. We will just have to wait!

[maxwatt]

There are precious few human studies on resveratrol, though that is the gold standard. We do infer many things from rodent studies, and much public health toxicology is based on such studies. Not everything. Last week the FDA refused the recommendations of their own scientists to ban BPA, which is a proven endocrine disruptor in rodents and in human tissue in vitro, on the grounds that it had only been found harmful in animal studies. Some of the effects seen in mice: smaller testicular size, earlier estrus, mammary tumors, lowered sperm count, smaller size of males, inappropriate sexual behavior in males (mounting other males?). But they want to wait until these effects are shown in human studies. BPA seems to be in all but a few plastics, including the plastic lining used in almost all canned food. Human blood levels are comparable to those found in mice that suffered these effects. It finds its way into most prepared food. It would cost industry billions to re-tool. So now we are all lab-rats.

Back to resveratrol: while there are fewer human studies, the animal studies combined with the anecdotal evidence from those using the substance, lead me to think there is something to the exercise enhancement. Not that I recommend a young person should take resveratrol for this purpose (only over the hill codgers with little to lose but aches and pains.) At least it appears to be very non-toxic, safer than aspirin, without adverse effects in life-span studies in rodents.

Edited by maxwatt, 13 April 2012 - 11:31 AM.

[niner]

It would cost industry billions to re-tool. So now we are all lab-rats.

Well, we wouldn't want any job-killing regulation. You guys can go back to mounting each other now...

[Logan]

It would cost industry billions to re-tool. So now we are all lab-rats.

Well, we wouldn't want any job-killing regulation. You guys can go back to mounting each other now...

Lol

[maxwatt]

At least marriage is now an option.

[bixbyte]

Improvements in Skeletal Muscle Strength and Cardiac Function Induced by Resveratrol Contribute to Enhanced Exercise Performance in Rats

The bike result is interesting, but not double blind placebo as far as I am aware.

Just making sure that everyone is aware of the caveats.

Supplementing on RESVERATROL For years.
NOW
I'm running 4.25 miles in an hour / day and I am not a Rat.

[mikeinnaples]

Supplementing on RESVERATROL For years.
NOW
I'm running 4.25 miles in an hour / day and I am not a Rat.

Time to pick up the pace

[bixbyte]

Supplementing on RESVERATROL For years.
NOW
I'm running 4.25 miles in an hour / day and I am not a Rat.

Time to pick up the pace

Today, I could only run 4.05 miles in one hour, this Human was tired.