Athletic performance may be gained by reaching for resveratrol, according to the results of a new study. The potent polyphenol found in nuts, grape skins, and red wine improved exercise performance in rats by 21 percent.
Already known to better oxygen delivery to the muscles and benefit cardiovascular health (two hallmarks of aerobic activity) when paired with exercise, this new research found that resveratrol supplementation also enhanced strength, metabolism, heart function, and exercise capacity.
From the University of Alberta in Canada, the authors investigated the role that resveratrol may play to not just mimic, but actually enhance exercise performance. Over the course of 12 weeks, rats were either fed a standard diet or a standard diet supplemented with resveratrol. Using a treadmill, the researchers exercised mice for 60 minutes each day to increase their endurance capacity.
“Rats consuming diets supplemented with resveratrol throughout 12 weeks of exercise training were able to run longer and further than rats that were only subjected to exercise training,” the authors write in the Journal of Physiology.
Compared to exercise alone, the resveratrol supplemented mice developed stronger leg muscles with an 18 percent strength gain in their calf muscle and a 58 percent strength gain in their tibialis anterior (on the front of the leg) muscle. The researchers propose, however, that these muscle gains do not get to the heart of the matter.
With more oxygen making its way around the body and more fuel coming from fat stores, the authors propose that the improvements in exercise performance are a product of a more efficient cardiovascular system. This lead to higher levels of fat burning, increases in muscle mass, and improved endurance. What’s more, the authors also reported that the resveratrol group showed better insulin sensitivity.
Among its therapeutic benefits, resveratrol has been shown to mimic, and now augment, the cardio improvements afforded by exercise. With functional changes ranging from more mitochondria (cellular powerhouses) to genetic expression, the authors report that resveratrol increases fatty acid release from the muscle for use by the heart—a feature that vastly improved the fitness of the rats.
Lead investigator Jason Dyck said in a press release, “We immediately saw the potential for this and thought that we identified improved exercise performance in a pill.”
Research has long been hunting for ways to break up the population’s inertia with regularly engaging in aerobic exercise. The authors explain that rigorous exercise programs are hard to follow, but pairing resveratrol with moderate activity may bolster health to a comparable degree.
Reference
Dolinsky VW et al. Improvements in skeletal muscle strength and cardiac function induced by resveratrol during exercise training contribute to enhanced exercise performance in rats. J Physiol 2012; 2783-99.
Already known to better oxygen delivery to the muscles and benefit cardiovascular health (two hallmarks of aerobic activity) when paired with exercise, this new research found that resveratrol supplementation also enhanced strength, metabolism, heart function, and exercise capacity.
From the University of Alberta in Canada, the authors investigated the role that resveratrol may play to not just mimic, but actually enhance exercise performance. Over the course of 12 weeks, rats were either fed a standard diet or a standard diet supplemented with resveratrol. Using a treadmill, the researchers exercised mice for 60 minutes each day to increase their endurance capacity.
“Rats consuming diets supplemented with resveratrol throughout 12 weeks of exercise training were able to run longer and further than rats that were only subjected to exercise training,” the authors write in the Journal of Physiology.
Compared to exercise alone, the resveratrol supplemented mice developed stronger leg muscles with an 18 percent strength gain in their calf muscle and a 58 percent strength gain in their tibialis anterior (on the front of the leg) muscle. The researchers propose, however, that these muscle gains do not get to the heart of the matter.
With more oxygen making its way around the body and more fuel coming from fat stores, the authors propose that the improvements in exercise performance are a product of a more efficient cardiovascular system. This lead to higher levels of fat burning, increases in muscle mass, and improved endurance. What’s more, the authors also reported that the resveratrol group showed better insulin sensitivity.
Among its therapeutic benefits, resveratrol has been shown to mimic, and now augment, the cardio improvements afforded by exercise. With functional changes ranging from more mitochondria (cellular powerhouses) to genetic expression, the authors report that resveratrol increases fatty acid release from the muscle for use by the heart—a feature that vastly improved the fitness of the rats.
Lead investigator Jason Dyck said in a press release, “We immediately saw the potential for this and thought that we identified improved exercise performance in a pill.”
Research has long been hunting for ways to break up the population’s inertia with regularly engaging in aerobic exercise. The authors explain that rigorous exercise programs are hard to follow, but pairing resveratrol with moderate activity may bolster health to a comparable degree.
Reference
Dolinsky VW et al. Improvements in skeletal muscle strength and cardiac function induced by resveratrol during exercise training contribute to enhanced exercise performance in rats. J Physiol 2012; 2783-99.
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