Efficacy and Safety of Resveratrol in Type 1 Diabetes Patients: A Two-Month Preliminary Exploratory Trial.

Insulin treatment on its own may not be enough to avoid all diabetes-related complications in type 1 diabetes (T1D). This is why a number of studies are being done with add-on therapies. In this study from Iran, a food-derived compound called resveratrol, which is found mainly in grapes, peanuts and berries, was used alongside insulin. In animal studies, resveratrol has been shown to have blood sugar lowering properties in T1D. This was the first study in humans. There were 13 study participants who took 500 mg of resveratrol twice daily for two months, alongside their usual insulin-based therapies. The study showed for the first time that short-term treatment with resveratrol could decrease the levels of fasting blood sugars and HbA1Cs in young adults with T1D on insulin therapy. No adverse effects were shown. As this was a very small study of a specific population over a short period of time, the researchers are hopeful the positive results will lead to a larger randomized trial.