Resveratrol Plus Sabinsa’s BioPerine May Increase Mitochondrial Capacity with Exercise

Photo © iStockphoto.com/Susan Trigg

Previous studies have suggested BioPerine piperine, a black pepper extract from Sabinsa (East Windsor, NJ), may improve the bioavailability of resveratrol in mice. But researchers at the University of Georgia have recently found, for the first time, that the combination of resveratrol and BioPerine supplementation may enhance mitochondrial capacity in humans when combined with low-intensity exercise training.

Writing in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, researchers observed 16 healthy young adults (with a mean age of 20) who were randomized to consume either a placebo or 500 mg of resveratrol plus 10 mg of BioPerine for four weeks. Additionally, all participants completed three sessions of submaximal endurance training of the wrist flexor muscles of the nondominant arm per week.

Based on near-infrared spectroscopy to assess skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity, researchers found that participants in the resveratrol-plus-BioPerine group experienced a 40% increase in mitochondrial capacity of the trained arm at the study’s conclusion compared to baseline. The placebo group, on the other hand, experienced an increase of 10%-a significant difference between the two groups.

The study authors also noted that much previous research on resveratrol has been conducted on high-intensity exercise, but this study is unique in assessing the effects of resveratrol supplementation on low-intensity exercise. Given that focus on low-intensity exercise, the promising results could have implications for people of all athletic levels.

“The study is especially significant for the general population who may be unable to perform high-intensity exercise,” said Nagabhushanam Kalyanam, PhD, president of research and development, Sabinsa. “Functionally beneficial mitochondrial performance is realized even with low-intensity exercise with resveratrol plus BioPerine supplementation.”

In addition to studying changed in mitochondrial capacity in the trained arm, researchers also studied changes in the dominant, untrained arm as a control. However, neither the resveratrol-plus-BioPerine group nor the placebo group exhibited changes to mitochondrial capacity in the untrained arm.

Researchers noted that while this study appears to be the first to suggest resveratrol plus BioPerine supplementation combined with low-intensity, submaximal exercise training enhances mitochondrial capacity in humans, more research is needed to better establish the nature of this interaction between resveratrol and BioPerine.

“Using piperine as a bioenhancer may be a key component when supplementing with resveratrol, although further studies are needed to determine whether piperine definitely augments resveratrol-mediated improvements in mitochondrial training adaptations,” researchers concluded.

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Michael Crane
Associate Editor
Nutritional Outlook Magazine
michael.crane@ubm.com

References:

Polley KR et al., “Influence of exercise training with resveratrol supplementation on skeletal muscle mitochondrial capacity,” Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, vol. 41, no. 1 (January 2016): 26–32