New Research About Resveratrol Continues to Stun Scientists

Resveratrol studies are quite the buzz among scientists in many different fields. And with the latest study published online on Feb. 15th by the Journal of Reproduction and Development, that buzz will continue for a long time.

Researchers at the Department of Animal Sciences at Purdue University tested the effects of Resveratrol on pig embryos in an attempt to see if there were any positive effects on the ability of that embryo to grow. They carefully added different amounts of Resveratrol to the culture medium where the embryos were developing.

According to their results, a moderate amount of Resveratrol, only 0.5 uM concentration, was enough to tip the scales in favor of 10% more embryos that made it to the next stage of development at Day 7, the blastocyst stage. A blastocyst is a formation of cells that will next implant itself in the wall of the womb. When the number of cells in the blastocyst reaches a certain number, it is ready to implant.

The Resveratrol also increased the total number of cells in the blastocyst.

Although this part of the study was enough to celebrate success, the researchers continued their study.

This time they incubated embryos from in vitro fertilization with 0.5 uM Resveratrol. The results were very positive – about 5% higher rates of blastocyst formation. Researchers Kiho Lee, Chunmin Wang, John Chaille and Zoltan Machaty concluded that 0.5 uM Resveratrol added to the culture of pig embryos had a positive effect on early development. The research was published in the Journal of Reproductive Development.

In vitro fertilization experts can’t really say for sure that this new Purdue University study proves that Resveratrol is helpful in humans trying to conceive; at least not until further studies are done. But it does offer hope, and with the wealth of other studies on Resveratrol that have already shown positive results on health, one could only wonder what benefits pregnant women will get from taking Resveratrol. One thing is certain – all experts agree that what happens in the womb is critically important for the developing fetus.

Infertility affects about 7.3 million women and men in the U.S., about 12% of the population of those in the childbearing years, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That’s a lot of heartache and hoping!

The infertility is such a problem that fertility clinics have cropped up everywhere. In 2003, the Washington Post reported that freezers of U.S. fertility clinics were bulging with about 400,000 frozen human embryos. Seven years later, that number is no doubt, much higher. It’s probably just a matter of time before scientists start testing the effect of Resveratrol on human embryos.

Source by Mark Juliano