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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. One-third of people diagnosed with COPD die of cardiovascular (CV) complications as opposed to pulmonary. Despite these odds, there are no therapies that mitigate this important health issue. Resveratrol, a naturally occurring antioxidant, improves CV health in other populations. However, there is currently no literature on resveratrol in patients with COPD. The purpose of this pilot study was to test if six weeks of resveratrol supplementation could improve CV health in patients with COPD. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, pilot trial was completed in 8 patients with COPD. Participants were given either resveratrol (n=5; 500 mg) or placebo (n=3) for six weeks. CV health was measured before and after treatment through arterial stiffness and 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT). RESULTS: Six weeks of resveratrol improved arterial stiffness in patients with COPD through reductions in augmentation index and pulse pressure amplification. Improvements in total 6MWT distance were also observed after six weeks of resveratrol. No changes after placebo were observed in any of the measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that six weeks of resveratrol improves markers of CV health in patients with COPD. Future studies are warranted to expand this pilot study and understand the potential role of resveratrol in COPD CV health.
Publication Date
2020
Disciplines
Rehabilitation and Therapy
Is Part Of
VCU Graduate Research Posters