Calorie restriction-like effects of 30 days of resveratrol supplementation on energy metabolism and metabolic profile in obese humans

Timmers S, Konings E, Bilet L, Houtkooper RH, van de Weijer T, Goossens GH · Cell Metabolism

The trial that made the calorie-restriction-mimetic case in humans: resveratrol lowered sleeping and resting metabolic rate, activated AMPK, raised muscle SIRT1 and PGC-1alpha protein, improved mitochondrial respiration, and reduced liver fat, circulating glucose, triglycerides, ALT, inflammatory markers, systolic pressure and HOMA index.

Population

Healthy obese men

Intervention

Resveratrol 150 mg/day for 30 days, crossover

Comparator

Placebo

Limitations

Eleven men, 30 days, one centre. The breadth of positive findings in so small a crossover is itself a caution, and the larger independent trials that followed did not reproduce them.