Resveratrol is a polyphenol naturally found in nuts, berries, and the skin of grapes, although in low concentrations. It possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, with studies demonstrating its potential cardiovascular, anti-carcinogenic, and anti-aging benefits.  Research has also shown significant benefits in several chronic inflammatory disorders.

According to a study published earlier this week in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, researchers investigated the effect of resveratrol supplementation on bone health in postmenopausal women. 

Resveratrol is also a phytoestrogen and animal studies have shown that it promotes osteoblastic formation similar to genistein. There have only been a few human studies investigating this; however, none of these studies were over six months in duration and none focused on postmenopausal women. 

This new study was a 24-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-period crossover study that included 125 postmenopausal women between the ages of 45 and 85 years of age who were given resveratrol at 150 mg per day in divided doses. It looked at resveratrol’s effects on cognition, cerebrovascular function, bone health, cardio-metabolic markers, and well-being in these women. 

As a result, after 12 months of resveratrol supplementation, there were beneficial effects on bone density in the lumbar spine and femur, resulting in an improvement in T-score and a reduction in the 10-year probability of hip fracture risk. As expected, this improvement was higher in women with poor bone health biomarker status. Interestingly, the improvement in T-score with resveratrol correlated with an improvement in perfusion. This is mediated by the activation of estrogen receptors on the endothelial cells by the resveratrol supplementation. In addition, there was a 7.24% decrease in C-terminal telopeptide type-1 collagen levels. This is a bone resorption marker that is useful to screen for excess bone loss as well as for monitoring the effectiveness of osteoporosis treatment.  Furthermore, a sub-group analysis showed the benefit of resveratrol on bone health was greater in individuals who were supplementing with vitamin D and calcium. This demonstrates the importance of a comprehensive approach compared to monotherapies. 

In conclusion, this study showed that supplementation with 150 mg of resveratrol daily can potentially help reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women. Other nutrients to consider include tocotrienols, genistein, vitamin D, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, DHEA, and specific collagen peptides. 

By Michael Jurgelewicz, DC, DACBN, DCBCN, CNS

Source: Wong R, Zaw J, et al. Regular Supplementation with Resveratrol Improves Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomised, Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Bone Miner Res. 2020 Jun 21.