Resveratrol Habit

I was reading an article today that told of how researchers found good old Paracetamol to be effective in preventing an enzyme called myeloperoxidase from producing hypochlorous acid, which is known more commonly as … bleach.

This sounds rather hideous, having the equivalent of disinfectant being produced in us, but, in a fashion similar to free radical production, it does have it’s place in the body’s systems and performs a needed function. It’s when it is over produced and it shows up in places it shouldn’t the problems begin.

So when researchers find that paracatemol can prevent myeloperoxidase from producing hypochlorous acid, it sounds really good. However, it seems like a bit of a bandaid approach to a more comprehensive problem. My guess is that even if people do successfully prevent tissue damage by lowering the incidence of free radicals through this, some other symptoms of heart disease would pop up elsewhere because the basic causes are still in place. High fat diet, lack of exercise. To really stave of heart disease changes in diet and lifestyle have to take place. Heart disease takes a long time to manifest symptoms, the first of which is often a heart attack. It’s unlikely taking paracetamol will turn that around. That said though, given what it does it would no doubt help people lower the risk of heart diease while they are turning things around. Overall a good discovery. Not a game changer though.

On the other hand resveratrol attacks heart disease on a number of fronts.

First, there is antioxidant effect of resveratrol in reducing free radicals. This is very important in preventing the elements of arterial plaques forming in the very first place. Arterial plaques begin when cracks appear in the arterial wall and LDL molecules flowing by in the bloodstream get caught in there. The crack in the artery is releasing free radicals (because it has cracked) and the LDL molecule is subsequently oxidized. The oxidized LDL molecule then begins to attack surrounding cells, including other cells in the blood vessel lining. This attracts white blood cells to the scene and inflammation begins shortly thereafter.

In the very beginning of this process, resveratrol’s antioxidant action counters the free radical activity that occurs when cracks form in the blood vessel lining and prevents free radicals from damaging the surrounding healthy cells. Additionally, resveratrol binds to the LDL cholesterol in the arterial crack and prevents it from oxidizing. Through these two actions resveratrol plays a large part in preventing arterial plaques (which can lead to a heart attack) from getting started.

Secondly, at the stage where an arterial plaque has started to grow, what is happening is white blood cells have been called to the scene to try and stop the damage being caused to surrounding cells by the oxidized LDL. Once at the scene the white blood cells do their job and engulf the oxidized LDL (trying to remove it). Whereas normally this would be a positive thing, the now engorged white blood cells cannot find it’s way back into the bloodstream and they now accumulate as foam cells. The smooth muscle lining of the blood vessel grows over this area, preventing the foam cells from getting out. Calcium forms a cap on the swelling and hardens this area of the artery.

In this scenario, resveratrol helps by inhibiting the production of the particlular protein that acts as an alarm bell at the site of the injury, calling white blood cells to the scene when the oxidized LDL starts causing cell damage. The white blood cells don’t show up, foam cells are not created and the plaque is not formed, thereby preventing a potential heart attack at this second stage.

Thirdly, one of the big changes in arteries once plaques have formed is, the endotheliem (the inner lining of the artery) ceases to be able to produce nitric oxide. Nitric Oxide is important here as it causes the relaxation or the constriction of the smooth muscle cells lining the artery walls, making the blood vessel widen or constrict depending on how much blood is needed to deliver oxygen to various parts of the body. Without nitric oxide the endothelium is unable to dilate in high oxygen demand situations (causing a shortness of breath). This failure of nitric oxide production is one of the first signs of heart disease.

Resveratrol, in this situation, quite simply enhances the production of nitric oxide by the endothelium, allowing it once again to dilate at times of increased need for oxygen.

Fourth, resveratrol prevents clotting in the blood. When a plaque breaks open, all of the underlying foam cells and debris are released into the bloodstream. The body sends platelets to stick onto these cells, and other debris, to prevent them from doing any further damage. The irony of this is the clotted platelets clump together, accumulate and quickly block off the artery. When this happens in arteries close to or feeding the heart, the result is a sudden heart attack.

In this situation, resveratrol prevents the platelets from clumping together, forming blockages, and allows the blood to continue flowing through the artery. This platelet anti-clustering property of resveratrol helps prevent a heart attack from happening, even at this late stage of heart disease.

As you can see, resveratrol works against the elements of heart disease to prevent a heart attack at every phase. It doesn’t work on any single factor in isolation from all the rest, as many pharmaceutical “solutions” do. On the contrary, it works on all factors simultaneously.