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Monday, April 5, 2010

Resveratrol as an antioxidant for smokers and COPD patients

Both COPD and asthma are characterized by chronic airway inflammation that is caused in part by oxidative stress in the body. A new study review article published online ahead of print suggests that an antioxidant known as resveratrol may be a powerful antioxidant in moderating airway inflammation among smokers, COPD patients and asthmatics (Wood LG, Wark PA, Garg ML. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of resveratrol in airway disease. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2010 Mar 9. [Epub ahead of print]).


Resveratrol is a naturally occurring compound found in a variety of plants, most notably red grapes. However, it is also found in berries, peanuts and an herb known as hu zhang. It is actually a phytonutrient that plants produce as a defense mechanism to ward off parasites and other threatening microbes. Resveratrol is most often mentioned in relation to studies showing red wine’s protective effects against heart disease but has been studied for a wide range of potential health benefits.


In the Wood review article, the authors examined the body of studies conducted on resveratrol’s impact on COPD patients, smokers and asthmatics. They conclude that enough evidence exists of resveratrol’s benefits among these audiences to warrant further research investigation. In particular, a number of studies noted in the Wood article have shown resveratrol reduces airway inflammation, mucus hypersecretion, epithelial shedding (shedding of the protective layer of airway lining tissue), and vascular exudation (fluid secretion in the lungs).


To take a step back, airway inflammation in smokers and COPD patients is most often initiated by exposure to cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke produces an enormous amount of oxidative chemicals - in fact, the Wood article authors note that a single puff of cigarette smoke contains approximately 10,000,000,000,000,000 oxidative particles known as free radicals!


Unchecked, free radicals damage human tissue (including the lungs). Normally, free radicals are offset in the body by compounds known as antioxidants. Antioxidants bind with free radicals and thereby neutralize the free radicals ability to inflame and damage tissue. But in smokers and COPD patients, free radicals inhaled in cigarette smoke typically far outnumber the body’s supply of stored antioxidants (partly because the volume of free radicals consumed through smoke is very high, and partly due to the fact that the majority of COPD patients and smokers do not consume an antioxidant rich diet – the highest concentration of antioxidants typically are found in colorful fruits and vegetables).


As a result, most respiratory care professionals recommend improving dietary intake of antioxidant rich foods and pursuing smoking cessation to reduce free radical damage among smokers and COPD patients (excellent advice to be sure). But from our perspective it is unlikely that smokers and COPD patients could consume enough antioxidant rich food to offset the effects of cigarette smoke, especially if they continue to smoke. Therefore, in our opinion it is worth COPD patients and smokers considering complementing an antioxidant rich diet with targeted antioxidant nutritional supplements.


Resveratrol is one such antioxidant (other common antioxidants that have been studied in relation to COPD patients and smokers include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, lycopene, beta-carotene, glutathione, and quercetin). That said there is no standard recommended daily amount of resveratrol that has been studied related to respiratory benefits in COPD patients and smokers. According to the Wood article authors, the daily dosages examined in the studies they reviewed ranged from 1 nanogram up to 1500 milligrams. It should also be noted that many of the published resveratrol studies have been conducted on human tissue in the laboratory and in mice and few have been conducted on human subjects.


As a result of these two factors (unclear dosage range and quality of past studies), many respiratory care professionals are skeptical of resveratrol’s benefits for COPD patients, smokers and asthmatics. However, the Wood article authors conclude based on their investigation of research literature, "In each of the models reviewed, effects of resveratrol on inflammation were similar or superior to, the effects of glucocorticoids (steroids).”


For more information on foods and beverages with high resveratrol content, we’ve provided a link to a good summary from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University here.


If you are interested in trying a resveratrol nutritional supplement, resveratrol is widely available online and through retail stores (sometimes sold as grape seed extract). As one might imagine given the Wood article authors findings mentioned above there is also a wide range of dosages to choose from. From our own investigation, most of the really high potency resveratrol supplements (200mg+) are associated with dubious anti-aging claims and therefore we would recommend looking at resveratrol supplements in the 10 mg to 100 mg range. Of the many resveratrol products on the market, there were two approved by ConsumerLab.com for purity and label potency accuracy that appeared to us to be particularly good values - Swanson’s Ultra Resveratrol (100mg) and Country Life Resveratrol Plus (100mg). We’ve added all the Resveratrol products offered through Amazon.com (including these two products) to our Breathe Better Marketplace for you to conduct your own research and price comparison if so inclined. To visit our Marketplace, please click here. As always, we recommend that you consult your physician about whether Resveratrol or any nutritional supplement is appropriate for you based on your individual situation and current medications prior to purchasing and ingesting.

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