For a long period of time, taking red wine in moderate quantities has been considered as healthy for the heart because it contains resveratrol but, there are side effects of resveratrol.
The health element of heart in red wine is associated with resveratrol and antioxidants called flavonoids. A lot of research has been done on the effects of resveratrol on the heart but the truth has not been fully established because the subjects for the research were animals and not humans.
According to the research, the effects of resveratrol were established to be alleviation of” bad” cholesterol , prevention of blood clotting as well as prevention of the damage of blood vessels. All these increases ones vulnerability to cardiovascular complication and therefore, any activity aimed at reducing these is essential for the heart health. According to Mayo clinic .com, resveratrol is associated with reduced risks of blood clotting and inflammation problems which result to heart disease.
Chemopreventive Effect. A was research done by University of California-Norris to establish the chemopreventive effect the resveratrol has, on the colon cancer using animals as their subjects. In this research, it was found out that resveratrol weakens the lines of colon cancer cells hence increasing their vulnerability to prevailing treatments for chemotherapy. According to an Assistant Professor of Oncology at the University of Southern California-Norris, Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, it modulates the survival of cancer cells through apoptosis.
Anticarcinogenic Property: The ability of resveratrol to act against the cancer of the colon emanates from its multiple properties of anticarcinogenic which include: inhibition of cyclooxygenase, antiangiogenic and inhibition of NF-kappa-B activation. In the used animal model, the resveratrol showed inhibition of inflammatory action enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 which plays a key role in colon cancer carcinogenesis. Dr. Brenner reports that, the inhibitory effect of this enzyme may result to risks of cardiovascular in humans.
Mild Side Effects: Even though the resveratrol supplements do not manifest severe side effects, they have potential to respond differently in each individual. If one is beginning to take resveratrol supplements should be cautious to occurrence of any swift health changes. Some side effects noted include dizziness, color change of the urine and rush feelings associated with caffeine consumption.
Anticoagulant Effect: According to the research carried out by Linus Pauling institute on the side effects of resveratrol, it was found out that it exerts anti-platelet and anticoagulant effects to the body. As result of this thinning effect, it may raise the risk of bleeding if taken together with anticoagulants / anti-platelets drugs. In addition, resveratrol may act together with anti-inflammatory drugs which are not steroidal like ibuprofen and aspirin further intensifying anticoagulant effect.
Increased Estrogen: One of the side effects of resveratrol is that it shows anti-aromatase and estrogenic properties. The main function of aromatase enzyme in human body is to convert testosterone into estrogen. High levels of estrogen in the body can trigger estrogen related cancers such as prostate and breast tumors. The Linus Pauling institute further reports that more research is has to be done before those vulnerable to the growth of tumor to takes resveratrol supplements because it may lead to increased levels of estrogen in the body.
Stomach Upset: Most users of resveratrol havereported gastrointestinal complications like stomach cramping and upset, loss of appetite and diarrhea as side effects of resveratrol.
Drug Interaction: According to the Linus Pauling institute, resveratrol can stop cytochrome 3A4 which may result side effects of drug interaction. It may react with inhibitors of HIV protease, antiarrhythmic agents, inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase, and agonists of calcium channel, antihistamines, erectile dysfunction and immunosuppressants medication.
Tendonitis: Despite of resveratrol having anti-inflammatory effects which are natural, in some people it has been reported to cause pain on the joints. This complication is manifested as tendinitis in Achilles tendon and the pain can affects other parts of the body. In extreme cases, numbness is also experienced as side effects of resveratrol.
Decreased Blood Pressure: According to the research conducted by Life Extension Foundation, it was found out that resveratrol may cause increased production of the nitric oxide. In the human body, nitric oxide is said to enlarges the blood vessels which are a heart related effect. However, it may react with medications for blood pressure resulting into very low blood pressure.
P450 activity: The research conducted showed that resveratrol disturbs the p450 activity as well as increasing assimilation of some medication like diltiazem. Its intake in high dosage may lead to unexpected side effects to casualties under certain kinds of drugs. It was also found out that it slows down the curing process of gastric ulcer.
Resveratrol is said to be a metal chelator because high intake of this supplement hinders absorption of copper and other metals. Copper just like any other mineral is a very essential metal in the body of humans and therefore its deficiency leads to muscle problems and on severe case can cause heart failure.
Resveratrol and DNA: The study was carried out in 2005 using a bluescript SK (+). The treatment was done by increasing resveratrol concentration and also removing all copper ions which then changed it to competent DH5alpha cells. However, the study exhibited less efficiency of plasmid transformation after use of the resveratrol drugs. Even though all kinds of mutations were noted, the point mutations which include deletion and substitution were predominant.
It can therefore be concluded that use of resveratrol lead to removal of guanine bases. In the nucleus chromatin, guanine bases are the ones which hold firmly the copper ions. This therefore implies that resveratrol mobilizes endogenous copper ions leading to prooxidant cleavage of DNA at the site.
Impaired Benzodiazepine Drug Metabolism: Blocking the enzyme in the liver which is responsible for breakdown of common drugs such as benzodiazepine for treating anxiety is one of the side effects of resveratrol. These drugs have their own side effects such as concentration, drowsiness, coordination problem and memory lapses which may hamper driving.
Due to delayed metabolism of benzodiazepines, this resveratrol supplement can increase benzodiazepines complications. In addition, it may affect benzodiazepine withdrawal which is a very critical process involving weaning patients gradually from large drugs doses over time.