'Healthy' component of red wine, resveratrol, causes pancreatic abnormalities in fetuses

"The important message in this study is that women should be very careful about what they consume while pregnant, and they should not take supplements, like Resveratrol, without consulting with their doctors," said Kevin L. Grove, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Division of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism and the Division of Reproductive and Development Science at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon. "What might be good for the mother may not be good for the baby."

To make this discovery, Grove and colleagues administered Resveratrol supplements every day throughout pregnancy to obese female macaque monkeys consuming a Western diet. A second group of obese monkeys were not given the supplement, and all comparisons were made against lean monkeys fed a healthy low fat diet. The animals were closely monitored for health complications and blood flow through the placenta was determined by ultra sound. The fetuses were analyzed for developmental abnormalities, and findings showed definitive evidence of pancreatic abnormalities.

"We've known for a long time that resveratrol is pharmacologically active, and we're just now really beginning to understand the pros and cons of consuming high concentrations of this substance," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "As we begin to establish a safety profile for resveratrol and other dietary supplements, findings like this should come as no surprise. There are always negative side effects when you eat, drink, take or do too much of anything."