Usefulness of resveratrol supplementation in decreasing cardiometabolic risk factors comparing subjects with metabolic syndrome and healthy subjects with or without obesity: meta-analysis using multinational, randomised, controlled trials

INTRODUCTION: Resveratrol (RES), a natural polyphenolic compound, has been linked to some beneficial effects against cardiovascular disease (CVD). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a systematic search to conduct a meta-analysis on cardiometabolic risk factors modulated by RES targeting patients with metabolic syndrome (Met-S) and Obese/Healthy (O/H) subjects. The PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) research question was: Does RES among patients with Met-S and O/H subjects reduce the cardiometabolic risk? The first group was affected with MetS, which is defined as a clustering of abdominal obesity, dyslipidaemia, hyperglycaemia, and hypertension in a single individual. The second group was composed of ‘obese/healthy’ individuals, i.e. healthy subjects with or without obesity. We performed a literature search of MEDLINE/ PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar for randomised, controlled trials (RCT) that estimated the effects of RES on cardiometabolic risk factors. RESULTS: We found 780 articles, of which 63 original articles and reviews were identified. Data from 17 well-conducted RCT studies, comprising 651 subjects, were extracted for analysis. Overall, RES had a significant influence on Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), resulting in a mean difference of –0.520665 (95% CI: –1.12791; –0.01439; p = 0.00113). In Met-S, RES significantly reduced glucose, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and total cholesterol (T-Chol) as detected by the mean difference of –1.069 (95% CI: –2.107, –0.032; p = 0.043), –0.924 (95% CI: –1.804, –0.043; p = 0.040), and –1.246 (95% CI: –2.314, –0.178; p = 0.022), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Despite some heterogeneity in the populations, RES supplementation seems to improve cardiometabolic health, decreasing some risk factors (HOMA-IR, LDL-C, and T-Chol) associated with CVD.