Supplements containing a compound from grape skins could one day help to prevent common complications associated with diabetes, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter found that resveratrol, a compound that occurs naturally in grape skin, can protect against the cellular damage to blood vessels caused by high production of glucose.
People with diabetes have high levels of circulating glucose, which causes cell damage and leads to electrons leaking out and forming damaging free radicals.
This can lead to a number of complications, including kidney disease, heart disease and retinopathy, which can eventually lead to blindness.
However, the latest findings, which appear in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, indicate that resveratrol helps cells to make enzymes to protect themselves against damage.
"Resveratrol's antioxidant effects in the test tube are well documented but our research shows the link between high levels of glucose, its damaging effect on cell structure and the ability of resveratrol to protect against and mend that damage," said Dr Matt Whiteman, who led the study.
Supplements containing a compound from grape skins could one day help to prevent common complications associated with diabetes, a new study suggests.
