Resveratrol revs up metabolism, promotes weight loss in first ever primate study Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by: S. L. Baker, features writer

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(NaturalNews) Resveratrol is a type of phytonutrient known as a polyphenol. Found in the skin of grapes, wine,
grape juice, peanuts, and berries, it has often been hailed as a
life-extending natural compound. After all, research in mice and lab
rats has indicated it can protect those animals from obesity and
diabetes and has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and
blood-sugar-lowering effects, too. However, rats and mice are rodents
-- and their physiology is in many ways different from the primate
family that includes apes, monkeys and, most importantly, human beings.

But now for the first time a study has shown resveratrol has the ability to
rev up metabolism and spark weight loss in primates -- and that means
the polyphenol might have weight loss and even anti-aging and
life-extending benefits in people, too.

Fabienne Aujard, from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, France, worked
with a team of scientists to document how a diet supplemented with
resveratrol impacted the weight, metabolism and energy intake of six
mouse lemurs. (Despite their names, mouse lemurs have nothing to do with
rodents. Found only on the African island nation of Madagascar, they
are mouse-sized primates -- the group that includes apes and humans.)

The study, which was just published in the BMC Physiology journal, showed that after four weeks of resveratrol supplementation
there was a significant decrease in the animals' food intake along with a
reduction in the body-mass gain lemurs normally experience in winter.
The response to the resveratrol supplementation also involved
significant changes in the animals' body temperatures. The researchers
noted that resveratrol appears to reduce weight by increasing satiety
(the feeling of being full) and also by increasing the resting metabolic
rate (the amount of energy expended while at rest) -- so the animals
burned up more calories even when not exercising.

"We've found that lemurs eating a diet supplemented with the compound
(resveratrol) decreased their energy intake by 13 percent and increased
their resting metabolic rate by 29 percent," Dr. Aujard said in a
statement to the press. "These results provide novel information on the
potential effects of resveratrol on energy metabolism and control of
body mass in a primate. The physiological benefits of resveratrol are
currently under intensive investigation, with recent work suggesting
that it could be a good candidate for the development of obesity
therapies."

For more information:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6...
http://www.biomedcentral.com/conten...
http://www.naturalnews.com/resverat...