Monday, January 21, 2013 by: John Phillip

(NaturalNews) Allopathic practitioners and the pharmaceutical giants enjoy promoting natural compounds including resveratrol as worthless, akin to snake oil and frequently attempt to convince the public that they are wasting their money by using these supplements. Naturally, the big medical concerns make huge profits by selling a host of prescription drugs that account for more than 100,000 deaths every year, even when taken as prescribed. Not a single death has been recorded from using resveratrol, yet the health benefits are profoundly significant and repeatedly documented in peer reviewed scientific studies.

Researchers from China have published the results of a study in the journal, Genes and Nutrition, showing how resveratrol protects against common damage to the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular dysfunction. While the scientists specifically detailed how the natural compound helps prevent complications in diabetics where fasting and post meal blood glucose can surge from three to five times normal, many health-conscious individuals can benefit from this information to protect them from arterial deterioration frequently associated with cardiovascular disease and increased heart attack risk.

 
Scientists detail how resveratrol prevents damage from high blood glucose to maintain vascular health

Our arteries are lined with a delicate, single cell layer of tissue called the endothelium that is essential to maintain proper blood pressure and volume, and acts as a barrier to protect against metabolic byproducts floating in circulation. The endothelium is very sensitive to excess levels of glucose in the bloodstream and can become damaged and tear when sugar crystals remain in circulation for extended periods, such as occurs after a meal high in sugars and refined carbohydrates. When the endothelium is breached, micro cracks occur that accumulate foamy plaque leading to future coronary artery disease.

Scientists found that blood sugar surges caused the endothelium to become permeable, allowing oxidized LDL cholesterol, calcium and other circulating materials to become lodged inside the arterial wall. The study team determined that resveratrol stopped endothelial leaking and helped maintain proper vascular structure even under stressful conditions experienced with high blood sugar levels. Further, the researchers detailed the precise mechanism exerted by the compound to maintain the structural integrity of the arterial wall.

The team concluded that resveratrol helped prevent the most common type of arterial damage caused by poor diet and advanced aging. Advanced glycation end products (AGE's) are formed when blood sugars and protein become bound to form useless structures that can adhere to and damage our arteries. Resveratrol (nutritionists recommend 400 mg of a standardized formulation per day) was shown to halt this damage and provides a critical nutritional intervention to prevent complications and maintain cardiovascular health in both diabetics and healthy individuals.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22983702
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0047792