Slayer's Den

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The Pleiotropic Health Supplement​

Studies show this substance has incredible effects on health, in addition to building muscle and increasing testosterone. It just needs to be unlocked.​

Most of the drugs in a doctor's arsenal are "mono-targeted" – they attack disease through just one biochemical pathway. The problem? Most chronic diseases are attributed to a failure or dysregulation of multiple genes, not just one.

What's needed is a paradigm shift from targeted therapies. What's needed is the use of "pleiotropic" substances that produce more than one effect; substances that can address the dysregulation of multiple genes.

That's the thinking of a group of researchers (Singh, et al.) who published a meta-study on a substance that seems to have the pleiotropic effects they're looking for... and it's not a drug. It's resveratrol.

Resveratrol and the French Paradox​

No one paid much attention to resveratrol until the 1990's "French Paradox." Despite eating a ton of foods that should've caused a lot of French men to clutch their chests and die, they didn't. The French had a comparatively low rate of cardiovascular disease. This paradox was attributed to the resveratrol found in the red wine (courtesy of the grape).

Regardless, that association between resveratrol and low cardiovascular disease ushered in a couple of decades of intensive resveratrol research. Singh and colleagues found an incredible 244 completed resveratrol trials. Their paper discusses all of that clinical data and describes the supplement's use in the prevention and management of various ailments.

What the Studies Show​

Resveratrol is effective in addressing several issues, which is a testament to its ability to modulate multiple molecules and chemical pathways. Those include:

• Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolic Syndrome – It does this by decreasing blood glucose levels and hemoglobin A1c, in addition to improving insulin sensitivity.
• Cancer – Researchers are hopeful that resveratrol, with its multi-targeting properties, might prove effective in combating cancer. Several types of cancer respond to resveratrol, among them colon cancer, breast cancer, and multiple myeoloma.
• Inflammatory Diseases – Resveratrol quenches inflammation in a number states, including cardiovascular inflammation and ulcerative colitis.
• Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease – A clinical trial found that resveratrol (600 mg. a day for three months) reduced glucose, insulin resistance, cholesterol, and the liver enzymes ALT and aspartate aminotransferase in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
• Neurological Diseases – A number of genes and pathways, including those that affect oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage, are implicated in Alzheimer's and cognitive impairment. Resveratrol has shown the potential to help both. It's also thought to aid in anxiety and depression by enhancing "cerebrovascular responsiveness."
• Cardiovascular Disease – Lots of things can cause your heart to malfunction, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Resveratrol's cardio-protective and multi-targeting properties make it a promising ally. The compound "appears to have significant therapeutic potential against CVDs."
• Kidney Diseases – Animal studies found resveratrol to have "well-proven utility" in treating diabetic nephropathy, drug-induced injury, ischemia-reperfusion, and sepsis-induced kidney injury.
• Miscellaneous Diseases – Resveratrol has been found to have varying degrees of effectiveness in treating specific conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome, cataracts, high blood pressure, rhinopharyngitis in children, acne vulgaris (resveratrol cream), anxiety, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, endometriosis, sports concussions, knee discomfort, cellulite, and spastic paraplegia.

Effects of Resveratrol on Athletes and Lifters​

It's fair to call resveratrol a performance-enhancing supplement. It's been demonstrated in a number of studies that didn't fit into Singh's discussion of resveratrol's use in the disease state.

For example, resveratrol supplementation, at least in animals, increased testosterone by 51.6%. It's also been shown to be a powerful aromatase inhibitor, and by decreasing the amount of testosterone that's converted to estrogen, you ipso facto boost testosterone further.

The polyphenol has also been shown to make muscle fibers grow longer and stronger. Montesanto et al. found that resveratrol induces young muscle cells (myoblasts) to differentiate, along with controlling regulatory factors and the synthesis of muscle-specific proteins. Resveratrol signals IGF-1 through a couple of regulating enzymes, which activate proteins and induce hypertrophic morphological changes.

Sounds Great, But There's One Possible Problem​

The body absorbs resveratrol really well, but that doesn't mean its bioavailability is high. It's absorbed fast, but it's usually metabolized and excreted just as quickly.

In fact, normal resveratrol, while having a healthy absorption rate of about 70%, only has about 1% bioavailability. Despite that measly bioavailability, clinicians still documented all the beneficial effects listed above.

It appears that 200 mg. a day (assuming a high bioavailability) works for general health purposes, while doses of up to 600 mg. a day are necessary to raise testosterone, lower estrogen, increase muscle fiber size, or have any effect on the conditions listed in Singh's research paper.