Arthritis and Resveratrol How it Works

I wanted to follow up my last article with some evidence that resveratrol can help you overcome your rheumatoid arthritis. I have experienced significant reduction in pain and stiffness in my joints after taking 300 milligrams of resveratrol for about six months (please see the previous article). Now I wanted to follow that last article up with scientific research that supports my position. Please click on the link on the right called "Effects of Resveratrol on Inflammatory Arthritis."

In this study researchers used rabbits as a model to determine the effects of resveratrol on the induced simulation of arthritis. In arthritis patients a molecule called nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB)is over produced. Now let me throw some science at you to explain what NF-kappa does.

I will try and explain why this is important in simple terms without too much complicated biological jargon. Cells take all their commands from chemical signals that are produced from DNA. Management is attained by chemical regulators that govern how and when compounds from DNA are made and utilized. These substances are called transcription factors and they can turn on or turn off certain genes in your body. These factors are the reason that your cells can orchestrate the development of your body during childhood and in old age.


It is known that in arthritis patients that nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB), a transcriptional factor is over produced which turns on other genes known as TNF-alpha and IL-1beta. Studies show that in arthritis patients these genes are over active and the compounds they produce lead to inflammation and pain. Resveratrol works by inhibiting the production of nuclear factor kappa B and thus preventing the induction of the genes that they "turn on." In addition resveratol is also known to be an active COX-2 inhibitor.

In the study mentioned earlier, arthritis was induces in rabbits and then resveratrol was directly injected into the joints of the rabbits to see if it would inhibit nuclear factor kappa B the transcriptional that turns on those other "bad" genes leading to arthritis. As it turns out resveratrol knocked out the production of kappa B leading to significantly reduced joint deterioration in the studies rabbits. Now most scientists would tell you that this is only one study and you can not hang your hat on just one study. And they would be right. Hundreds more would be required and finally human subjects would have to be tested for efficacy.

If you read my last article you know that resveratrol worked for me! It put my arthritis in remission. I found this out my accident and only later found that there was scientific evidence for my arthritis' remission. Resveratrol in found in the husks of red grapes and is known to be one of the reasons why it is healthy to drink red wine. This means people have been taking resveratrol in small doses for thousands of years. Now in the study much higher doses were used. However, I will say that I took about 300 milligrams equivalent a day for six months. A regular glass of red wine has about 160 micrograms. You would have to drink about 20 glasses of wine or five bottles to get an equivalent. Take the route I did and buy the light and heat protected supplements on the Internet. It is both cheaper and more convenient. Try it today, you never know what could happen.