Can Resveratrol Reduce Elderly Frailty?

Findings from a recent study suggest resveratrol, a phenol found in red wine, "may help maintain muscle performance and reduce frailty in the elderly," Nutra Ingredients reported.

After studying 48 young, mature, and old mice models, scientists found that resveratrol improved muscle performance for mature and old mice but not young mice.

"Our results indicate that resveratrol can be considered an ergogenic compound that helps maintain muscle performance during aging and subsequently reduces frailty and increases muscle performance in old individuals practicing moderate exercise," wrote researchers from Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Spain and the Vietnam National University in Vietnam.

On whether these results suggest older people be prescribed resveratrol, lead author Dr. Guillermo Lopez-Lluch said, "The use of nutraceuticals such as resveratrol can be recommended in the case of poor diets lacking fresh vegetables rich in polyphenols. In aged people an unbalanced diet must be supplemented with extracts rich in these compounds accompanied by a more active life."

Check out our roundup of seven benefits of red wine.