Lyrica is the king of the FDA approved drugs for FM. More people with FM take it than any other drug. While it can cause some significant side-effects when it works it works pretty well. But can it beat wine as a pain reliever?
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[/fright]Many studies have shown oxidative stress is increased FM and chronic fatigue syndrome. A group of Brazilian researchers thought targeting those free radicals might be helpful and so they gave fibromyalgia mice an antioxidant and immunomodulatory preparation of two supplements; one commonly found in red wine called resveratol and rice bran oil. They then compared the effects of those supplements to mice given Lyrica and to controls.
With neuroinflammation clearly in mind, in a rather novel test they went so far as to assess free radical levels in the spinal fluid before after the treatments.
Pain Research and Treatment Volume 2016 (2016), Article ID 3191638, 11 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/3191638. Coadministration of Resveratrol and Rice Oil Mitigates Nociception and Oxidative State in a Mouse Fibromyalgia-Like Model http://www.hindawi.com/journals/prt/2016/3191638/
Results
The researchers found that resveratrol did reduce the pain levels and even the allodynia of the mice. They pointed out that similar studies have shown similar effects and that RSV may be able to relieve diabetic neuropathic pain as well.
Rice bran oil by itself reduced thermal hyperalgesia but not mechanical or pain induced by hot plates.
A resveratrol plus rice bran oil combination, however, was the most effective pain reducer. Besides significantly reducing pain, it was the only treatment that reduced "depression" (i.e. stopped the mice from making themselves immobile.)
The most interesting part of the study came at the end, though. Citing several sources suggesting that high rates of oxidative stress and mitochondria problems (either can cause the other) are involved in FM, the authors examined the levels of reactive oxygen species in the cerebral spinal fluid of the FM mice.
They found that pushing the mice into a fibromyalgia-like state caused the free radical levels in their spinal fluid to skyrocket - suggesting that inducing pain in the periphery (the body) can result in central nervous system inflammation and microglial activation.
Adding resveratrol and rice bran oil to the mice's diet caused the free radical levels in their CSF to plummet. In fact, at the end of the trial the free radical levels of the FM mice given the supplement combination were lower than those found in the control mice.
Lyrica also reduced the FM mice's CSF free radical levels significantly but not to the extent that the resveratrol - rice bran oil combination did. Resveratrol, in short, was more effective than Lyrica.
Resveratrol
Resveratrol, an antifungal molecule produced by plants when under attack by pathogens or when under stress, has become big news in the nutrition field. Found in red grapes, mulberry and peanuts, wines and tea it can be extracted from red wine during the fermentation process. Numerous studies - mostly done in rodents - suggest it has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, pro-mitochondrial and even antiviral effects.
[fright]
[/fright]Our brains are breeding grounds for oxidative stress. Producing energy aerobically - which is how the brain produces much of its energy - produces large numbers of free radicals. The brain's massive oxygen needs ensure that if oxidative stress is going to turn up anywhere it's probably going to show up in the brain. (Shungu has shown that it has in chronic fatigue syndrome patient's brains.)
All this activity can leave the neurons highly vulnerable to free radical attacks. Oxidative stress is believed, in fact, to play a significant role in many neurodegenerative diseases, and resveratrol has been touted as a possible treatment for many diseases (cancer, heart disease, etc.) including neurodegenerative diseases (multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease). It's effectiveness in neurodegenerative diseases is believed to derive from its ability to reduce the high levels of, yes, oxidative stress (inflammation) believed found in central nervous system disorders.
Interestingly, given recent findings of reduced telomere length in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome - which are probably due, yes, to oxidative stress - resveratrol has been show to increase telomere length.
Resveratrol has also able to protect against obesity in mice and even extend their lifespan. It's shown enough promise that resveratrol based drugs are being pursued by a number of pharmaceutical companies. Resveratrol is one of the substances Jarred Younger is examining in a microglial cell inhibitor study in Gulf War Syndrome (GWS).
Bioavailability
One big question about resveratrol has been its bioavailability. Since it is rapidly metabolized into other compounds drinking lots of red wine will not raise your resveratrol levels significantly. (An interview on the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the NIH, stated that the amount of resveratrol used in "convincing clinical studies" (about 1 gram/day) would require drinking about 667 bottles of red wine.)
Encapsulating resveratrol in a lipid formulation does increase its bioavailability. A better way to get resveratrol into your body may be absorption through the mouth and a resveratrol chewing gum is reportedly being developed. In fact a large number of carrier formulations (polymeric nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, zein-based nanoparticles, lecithin-based nanoemulsions, cyclodextrins, liposomes, and lipid nanoparticles) are being tested.
Recently a study highlighted a lipid nanoparticle formulation which protected resveratrol from absorption early in the digestive process but allowed it to be absorbed in the intestinal tract. As the lipid nanoparticles used are biodegradable, safe, and cheap to formulate they may be able to solve the bioavailability problem.
Resveratrol, it turns out, effects basic metabolic factors that effect many cells. Given the lack of human studies, the long term effects are uncertain.
Conclusion
Mice are not humans but this FM mice model does respond similarly to drugs like Lyrica as do FM patients. Many human trials have proved Lyrica is helpful for some FM patients. The same cannot be said for resveratrol, but the laboratory and animal evidence base for resveratrol is quite large, and the resveratrol/rice bran oil combination outperformed Lyrica both with regards to pain reduction and to free radical reduction in the cerebral spinal fluid.
[fright]
With neuroinflammation clearly in mind, in a rather novel test they went so far as to assess free radical levels in the spinal fluid before after the treatments.
Pain Research and Treatment Volume 2016 (2016), Article ID 3191638, 11 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/3191638. Coadministration of Resveratrol and Rice Oil Mitigates Nociception and Oxidative State in a Mouse Fibromyalgia-Like Model http://www.hindawi.com/journals/prt/2016/3191638/
Results
The researchers found that resveratrol did reduce the pain levels and even the allodynia of the mice. They pointed out that similar studies have shown similar effects and that RSV may be able to relieve diabetic neuropathic pain as well.
Rice bran oil by itself reduced thermal hyperalgesia but not mechanical or pain induced by hot plates.
A resveratrol plus rice bran oil combination, however, was the most effective pain reducer. Besides significantly reducing pain, it was the only treatment that reduced "depression" (i.e. stopped the mice from making themselves immobile.)
The most interesting part of the study came at the end, though. Citing several sources suggesting that high rates of oxidative stress and mitochondria problems (either can cause the other) are involved in FM, the authors examined the levels of reactive oxygen species in the cerebral spinal fluid of the FM mice.
They found that pushing the mice into a fibromyalgia-like state caused the free radical levels in their spinal fluid to skyrocket - suggesting that inducing pain in the periphery (the body) can result in central nervous system inflammation and microglial activation.
Adding resveratrol and rice bran oil to the mice's diet caused the free radical levels in their CSF to plummet. In fact, at the end of the trial the free radical levels of the FM mice given the supplement combination were lower than those found in the control mice.
Lyrica also reduced the FM mice's CSF free radical levels significantly but not to the extent that the resveratrol - rice bran oil combination did. Resveratrol, in short, was more effective than Lyrica.
Resveratrol
Resveratrol, an antifungal molecule produced by plants when under attack by pathogens or when under stress, has become big news in the nutrition field. Found in red grapes, mulberry and peanuts, wines and tea it can be extracted from red wine during the fermentation process. Numerous studies - mostly done in rodents - suggest it has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, pro-mitochondrial and even antiviral effects.
[fright]
All this activity can leave the neurons highly vulnerable to free radical attacks. Oxidative stress is believed, in fact, to play a significant role in many neurodegenerative diseases, and resveratrol has been touted as a possible treatment for many diseases (cancer, heart disease, etc.) including neurodegenerative diseases (multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease). It's effectiveness in neurodegenerative diseases is believed to derive from its ability to reduce the high levels of, yes, oxidative stress (inflammation) believed found in central nervous system disorders.
Interestingly, given recent findings of reduced telomere length in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome - which are probably due, yes, to oxidative stress - resveratrol has been show to increase telomere length.
Resveratrol has also able to protect against obesity in mice and even extend their lifespan. It's shown enough promise that resveratrol based drugs are being pursued by a number of pharmaceutical companies. Resveratrol is one of the substances Jarred Younger is examining in a microglial cell inhibitor study in Gulf War Syndrome (GWS).
Bioavailability
One big question about resveratrol has been its bioavailability. Since it is rapidly metabolized into other compounds drinking lots of red wine will not raise your resveratrol levels significantly. (An interview on the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the NIH, stated that the amount of resveratrol used in "convincing clinical studies" (about 1 gram/day) would require drinking about 667 bottles of red wine.)
Encapsulating resveratrol in a lipid formulation does increase its bioavailability. A better way to get resveratrol into your body may be absorption through the mouth and a resveratrol chewing gum is reportedly being developed. In fact a large number of carrier formulations (polymeric nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, zein-based nanoparticles, lecithin-based nanoemulsions, cyclodextrins, liposomes, and lipid nanoparticles) are being tested.
Recently a study highlighted a lipid nanoparticle formulation which protected resveratrol from absorption early in the digestive process but allowed it to be absorbed in the intestinal tract. As the lipid nanoparticles used are biodegradable, safe, and cheap to formulate they may be able to solve the bioavailability problem.
Resveratrol, it turns out, effects basic metabolic factors that effect many cells. Given the lack of human studies, the long term effects are uncertain.
Conclusion
Mice are not humans but this FM mice model does respond similarly to drugs like Lyrica as do FM patients. Many human trials have proved Lyrica is helpful for some FM patients. The same cannot be said for resveratrol, but the laboratory and animal evidence base for resveratrol is quite large, and the resveratrol/rice bran oil combination outperformed Lyrica both with regards to pain reduction and to free radical reduction in the cerebral spinal fluid.