Resveratrol delays age-related deterioration and mimics transcriptional aspects of dietary restriction without extending life span.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Animal study (preclinical mouse model)
PubMed 18599363 · doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2008.06.011
What was done
Mice fed a standard diet received resveratrol supplementation starting at 12 months of age (midlife). Researchers compared gene expression profiles across multiple tissues against patterns from dietary restriction and every-other-day feeding, while assessing markers of age-related physiological decline and overall survival.
What was found
Resveratrol shifted multi-tissue gene expression to parallel patterns seen with dietary restriction and every-other-day feeding. Resveratrol-fed elderly mice showed reduced albuminuria, decreased inflammation and apoptosis in vascular endothelium, increased aortic elasticity, improved motor coordination, reduced cataract formation, and preserved bone mineral density. Resveratrol did not increase lifespan in mice fed a standard diet. The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or p-values.
Why it matters
This study shows that healthspan improvements and calorie-restriction-like transcriptional changes can be uncoupled from lifespan extension in mammals when treatment is started at midlife.
Limits
The study was conducted exclusively in mice, limiting direct translation to humans. The abstract does not report sample sizes, specific dosing regimens, or quantitative data with variance estimates. Treatment was evaluated only starting at 12 months of age on a standard diet, leaving earlier initiation unassessed in these findings.
Cited by
- contradicts Giving old mice resveratrol every second day significantly extended their lifespan compared to daily dosing.