Resveratrol prevents high fat/sucrose diet-induced central arterial wall inflammation and stiffening in nonhuman primates.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Animal model study (nonhuman primates)
PubMed 24882067 · doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2014.04.018
What was done
Rhesus monkeys were fed a high-fat and high-sucrose diet for 2 years to induce metabolic and cardiovascular pathology. Researchers evaluated changes in body weight, cholesterol, central arterial stiffening measured by aortic pulse wave velocity, arterial wall inflammation, and molecular markers of oxidative stress, comparing animals with and without dietary resveratrol supplementation.
What was found
The high-fat/sucrose diet increased body weight and cholesterol, induced central arterial wall stiffening, increased pulse wave velocity and inflammation, and led to endothelial integrity loss, macrophage infiltration, lipid accumulation, and calcification. Resveratrol supplementation prevented the diet-induced arterial wall inflammation and the increase in pulse wave velocity. No exact numerical values or effect sizes were reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Arterial stiffening is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease with limited specific pharmacotherapies; demonstrating prevention of stiffness and vascular inflammation in nonhuman primates highlights resveratrol as a potential translational candidate.
Limits
Findings in nonhuman primates cannot be directly extrapolated to humans without clinical trials. The abstract omits sample size, specific dosage of resveratrol, statistical confidence intervals, and quantitative measurements.
Cited by
- supports In a study by Rafael de Cabo's group, resveratrol supplementation completely reversed the 40% increase in aortic stiffness induced by a high-sucrose and high-fat diet in rhesus monkeys.