According to a new study, resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, has demonstrated to have stress-relieving effects in anxiety and depression.
Researchers from the University at Buffalo in collaboration with Xuzhou Medical University in China said resveratrol has the ability to control a brain enzyme linked to stress and depression.
The study was published in the journal Neuropharmacology.
According to the American Anxiety and Depression Association, nearly 16 million suffer from depression and 40 million suffer from anxiety in the United States suffer.
Co-lead author Ying Xu said, “Resveratrol may be an effective alternative to drugs for treating patients suffering from depression and anxiety disorders.”
The researchers explained that resveratrol is found to have numerous health benefits. It is found abundantly in the seeds and skins of berries and grapes.
The authors explained, “Resveratrol is a natural non-flavonoid polyphenol found in red wine, which has numerous pharmacological properties including anti-stress and antidepressant-like abilities.”
They noted that resveratrol played an important role in the enzyme called phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE-4), which is eventually influenced by the stress hormone cortisol. Stress can trigger the release of cortisol, which then reaches the brain and caused anxiety and depression.
Currently, depression and anxiety are treated with drugs that work on certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin or noradrenaline, in the brain.
The new study used lab mice and the researchers found that resveratrol showed a neuro-protective effect in the brain by controlling the damage caused by cortisol. The red wine compound successfully suppressed the expression of PDE-4 that influence anxiety and depression.
The researchers concluded, “Resveratrol-induced antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects are mediated by PDE4D. Overall, these findings support the hypothesis that PDE4D-mediated cAMP signaling plays an important role in resveratrol’s protective effects on stress-induced depression- and anxiety-like behavior.”
The study authors are hopeful that these findings could mean novel therapeutic approach to anxiety and depression using resveratrol. However, they warned that resveratrol’s beneficial effect on anxiety and depression does not mean that the alcohol or red-wine consumption improves overall health
