[Note: Resveratrol is a naturally-occurring compound found most abundantly in the skin of red grapes, berries, red wine, peanuts, and the root of a flowering plant used in traditional Chinese medicine - Polygonum cuspidatum.]
Atherosclerosis, a progressive disease characterized by the accumulation of lipids and fibrous elements in the arteries, is a most important contributor to cardiovascular diseases. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring phytopolyphenol compound, and shows the ability to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
In this review, beneficial effects of resveratrol on the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis - including:
• Regulation of vasodilator and vasoconstrictor production [blood pressure],
• Inhibition of oxidative stress/reactive oxygen species generation,
• Anti-inflammation,
• Inhibition of modification of low-density lipoproteins ["bad" cholesterol],
• Anti-platelet aggregation [anti-clotting],
• And its abilities to impede progression and modulate complications of atherosclerosis
- are discussed.
Source: Journal of Medicinal Food, Dec 2008;11(4):pp610-614. PMID: 19053850, by Fan E, Zhang L, Jiang S, Bai Y. College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tian Jin, People's Republic of China; Institute of Plant and Cell Physiology, Martin-Luther University, Halle/Saale, Germany; [E-mail: Enguo Fan, fan@pflanzenphys.uni-halle.de]
