- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Herbal Remedy Could Halt Peanut Allergy
- Air Pollution May Raise Blood Pressure
- Keep Asthma, Allergies at Bay for the Holidays
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Pain-Relieving Powers of Acupuncture Unclear
- Taking the Mystery Out of Hypnotherapy
- Health Tip: Anticipating Acupuncture
- ANIMAL CARE
- Beware of Dog Bites
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- BONES & JOINTS
- Genes May Help Drive Rotator Cuff Injury
- Fruits and Veggies May Strengthen Bones
- For All Their Plusses, Pets Pose a Risk for Falls, Too
- CANCER
- Vitamin D May Lower Colon Cancer Risk
- Many Ignore Symptoms of Bladder Trouble
- Seaweed May Help Treat Lymphoma
- CAREGIVING
- Injected Medication Errors a Major Problem
- Organ Donation Policies Vary Among Children's Hospitals
- Distance No Bar to Kidney Transplants in Remote Areas
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Night Shift Work Hard on the Heart
- Smog Tougher on the Obese
- Migraines in Pregnancy Boost Vascular Risks
- COSMETIC
- The Acne Drug Accutane More Than Doubles Depression Risk
- Health Tip: After Liposuction
- What to Do If You Have Unsightly Veins
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Sports Drinks May Be Tough on Teeth
- Gummy Bears Join Cavity Fight
- Gum Disease Might Boost Cancer Risk
- DIABETES
- Fish Twice a Week Cuts Diabetics' Kidney Risks
- Strict Blood Sugar Lowering Won't Ease Diabetes Heart Risk
- Americans Consuming More Sugary Beverages
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Coffee Drinkers Might Live Longer
- Heart Disease May Be Prevented By Taking Fish Oils, Study Shows
- Eating Less May Slow Aging Process
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Pesticides Linked to Parkinson's
- Population-Based Strategy Urged to Cut U.S. Obesity Rate
- Where You Live May Affect Your Cancer Diagnosis
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Sports Eye Injuries Leading Cause of Blindness in Youths
- Certain Diabetes Drugs May Pose Eye Risk
- Eye Care Checkups Tied to Insurance Status
- FITNESS
- The 3LS Wellness Program for Reversing Chronic Symptoms and Creating Lasting Health
- Exercise 30 Minutes a Day? Who Knew!
- Exercise Helps Reduce Falls in Young and Old
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- HRT Use Raises Risk of Stomach Trouble
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Regular Yoga May Improve Eating Habits
- When Clocks Change, Body May Need Time to Adjust
- Winter's Bitter Cold Poses Health Dangers
- HEAD & NECK
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- 'Cell Phone Elbow' -- A New Ill for the Wired Age
- The Internet Is Becoming One-Stop Shopping for Health Help
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Coffee Is Generally Heart-Friendly
- Brown Rice Tied to Better Heart Health in Study
- Lack of Vitamin D Linked to High Blood Pressure
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Now Reported in All 50 States
- Hand Washing 10 Times a Day May Help Keep Flu Away
- The HPV Vaccine: Preventative Medicine or Human Sacrifice?
- KID'S HEALTH
- Guard Kids' Eyes Against Long-Term Sun Damage
- Play Creatively as a Kid, Be a Healthier Adult
- Health Tip: Back Pain in Children
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Soy Linked to Low Sperm Count
- The Dark Side of Vegetarianism
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Massage Fosters Healing in Bereaved Relatives
- How to Attack Holiday Stress Head-On
- Environmental Chemicals May Affect Male Reproduction
- PREGNANCY
- Placebo Acupuncture Tied to Higher IVF Pregnancies
- For Baby and Mom Alike, Breast-Feeding May Be Best
- Exercise As Well As Acupuncture, May Ease Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- SENIORS
- Life Expectancy in U.S. Hits New High
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- The Healthy Habits of Centenarians
Red-Grape Compound May Improve Diabetes
By eHolistic.com Published: 10/23/2009
(HealthDay News) -- New research provides further insight into how a health-boosting compound found in red grapes may help the body fend off type 2 diabetes.
But scientists have only seen the effect in mice who received injections in the brain, and no evidence has emerged that consuming red wine or other products made with grapes will alleviate the blood sugar disease.
The findings do tell scientists about how the compound known as resveratrol works on the brain, said senior study author Roberto Coppari.
If scientists know that the brain is a "major player," then drug companies working on related research "will focus on a drug that will penetrate the brain," said Coppari, an assistant professor of internal medicine at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Scientists have been excited about resveratrol, which is found in red grapes, red wine, pomegranates and some other foods, appears to extend the life spans of mice, even those fed a high-fat diet. Resveratrol appears to mimic the effects of severely restricting food intake, which helps a wide variety of animals live longer, Coppari said.
"You can take the spider, fish, and almost every animal in the planet, and give 70 percent of what the animal would normally eat, and you'll see beneficial effects," he said. "Of course, calorie restriction is very difficult to impose on people. You will feel hungry all the time."
In the new study, Coppari and colleagues looked at the effects of resveratrol on diabetes, not life span. Previous research has suggested that the compound helps the body fight off diabetes.
The researchers injected either resveratrol or a placebo into the brains of diet-induced and diabetic mice and watched to see what happened.
Over five weeks, insulin levels returned to half of normal levels in the mice that got the resveratrol injections, even though they were on high-fat diets. Researchers suspect resveratrol activated proteins in the brain called sirtuins.
The insulin levels in the other mice went up, apparently because of their diets.
So why not drink red wine to get the same effects? It won't work, Coppari said, since the amount of resveratrol in red wine is too low. Then there's the matter of the barrier between the bloodstream and the brain, which keeps things out of the brain.
"Clearly, administration of drugs to patients directly into the brain for chronic diseases is not feasible or realistic," said Lindsay Brown, of the University of Queensland's department of physiology and pharmacology in Australia.
"But this study may lead to the development of compounds that are more effective in crossing from the blood to the brain than is resveratrol," said Brown.
The study, which was supported by the American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health and American Diabetes Association, was published online in advance of its print publication in the December issue of the journal Endocrinology.
SOURCES: Roberto Coppari, Ph.D., assistant professor, internal medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Lindsay Brown, Ph.D., University of Queensland's department of physiology and pharmacology, Australia; December 2009 Endocrinology
