By now, many of you know about the potential benefits of Resveratrol.  They have been well highlighted in numerous journals, magazines and newspapers over the last ten years.  You can read a nice clean summary about the compound, its alleged benefits and more in an article I posted last year.  Now comes the release of a presentation made by University of Connecticut researchers at a National Institute of Health symposium in Washington D.C. that shows that resveratrol limits damage caused by a heart attack, prevents sudden cardiac death in animals and may be “the best yet devised method of cardioprotection.”  The red grape molecule seems to work its cardioprotective effect through the compound adenosine, a nucleoside that activates antioxidants in the heart prior to a heart attack.

This brings into question the role of low dose aspirin, a preventative therapy ascribed to by millions and recommended since 1988 by the FDA to limit heart attack.  Dr. Nate Leibowitz, cardiologist with the Advanced Cardiology Institute in Ft. Lee New Jersey, believes that aspirin therapy for the prevention of heart attacks has a limited effect.  Where there does seem to be some benefit, however, is in women with a positive mutation of the apolipoprotein(a) gene (LPA) gene.

A recent paper published in the American Journal of Medicine indicates that the dosage of aspirin recommended traditionally by the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the US Preventive Services Task Force (75-81mg) appears to be far too low to offer a significant reduction in stroke or heart attack.  In fact, half of the people experiencing a sudden mortal heart attack were taking aspirin on the day of their demise.  In addition, the risk of gastric bleeding with low dose therapy is ten times that non users.  James E. Dalen, MD, MPH, who some of you may recognize as the former dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine, says that only one in seven human studies using 100mg of aspirin demonstrates a decreased incidence of heart attack.

This begs for one of two possible conclusions, according to Dr Dalen.  One is that the original low dose recommended 22 years ago is insufficient.  In fact, the US Physicians Health Study points to a study where 325mg of Aspirin taken every other day reduced the relative risk of heart attack by 44%.  There was no mention of the incidence of gastric bleeding with this dosage.  The alternative conclusion would be that aspirin is an ineffective therapy.

Dr Leibowitz believes that resveratrol offers a broader action than does aspirin.  The compound is documented to reduce clotting that may block blood flow in the coronary arteries, reduces the compound homocysteine, a protein associated with cardiovascular disease, reduce markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein), regenerate Vitamin E and release adenosine.  Howard Rothman, senior cardiologist at the Advanced Cardiology Institute warned that the pre-conditioning effect of resveratrol is achieved at a dose ranging from 175-350 mg, a dose by the way that is much higher than you will find in a bottle of wine.

So as a consumer, what should you do with this new information?  Probably what I will do, even as a retired physician…………speak with your internist and/or cardiologist about this study and any additional studies and then make an informed decision together about the role of aspirin or resveratrol in your daily life.

Tags: Aspirin, heart attack, Resveratrol