Health aNd Fitness Guide

Chinese researchers have outlined the molecular chain activity that makes resveratrol — a chemical found in the skin of red grapes and in red wine — a promising candidate for treatment of diabetes and other conditions. The study focused on how resveratrol improved the sensitivity of mice to insulin, an effect that could lead to new treatments for type 2 diabetes, in which human cells lose their sensitivity to insulin. US experts said the chemical’s effect on a number of tissues could lead to such dreamed-of medications as an effective diet pill.

The study, by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, showed that resveratrol activates an enzyme called SIRT1. The enzyme suppresses the activity of a molecule called PTP1B, which normally works to decrease insulin activity. SIRT1 levels were reduced in animals’ insulin-resistant cells. Increasing SIRT1 activity with resveratrol improved insulin sensitivity by acting on PTP1B. One striking finding was that much lower levels of resveratrol than in previous trials were able to increase the animals’ sensitivity to insulin.