Is Resveratrol Not That Good For You?

Red wine's resveratrol has long been touted for its health benefits, including reversing diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. But one new study shows that revesterol may not do much for healthy women.

The study, published in Cell Metabolism online, looked at 29 post-menopausal women who were considered to be reasonably healthy. After one group took resveratrol and another took a placebo, the researchers found no real difference in metabolic benefits in the two groups. Therefore, it might be that resveratrol is only good for those with diabetes, or other metabolic problems (like obesity). The senior investigator Samuel Klein, explained in a release: "Few studies have evaluated the effects of resveratrol in people... Those studies were conducted in people with diabetes, older adults with impaired glucose tolerance, or obese people who had more metabolic problems than the women we studied. So it is possible that resveratrol could have beneficial effects in people who are more metabolically abnormal than the subjects who participated in the study." 

The study is a big deal, especially considering the huge rise in the resveratrol supplement market in the last few years (though most prefer to get their daily dose in red wine). But the researchers still think red wine may be onto something; while resveratrol seems to have no effect on its own, it could be that when combined with other properties in red wine, it can help your health. Phew, not all hope is lost.