DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED MEDICAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

A Pilot RCT on the Effect of Resveratrol on Mood, Memory Deficits, Hippocampal Inflammation, and Neurogenesis in Veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI)

Principal Investigator: MAY, GEOFF
Institution Receiving Award: CENTRAL TEXAS VETERANS RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Program: GWIRP
Proposal Number: GW160050
Award Number: W81XWH-17-1-0598
Funding Mechanism: Treatment Evaluation Award
Partnering Awards:
Award Amount: $787,197.43
Period of Performance: 9/1/2017 - 6/30/2023


PUBLIC ABSTRACT

Since their return from military service in the 1990-1991 Gulf War, many Veterans have been affected by debilitating symptoms that are not easily explained. A leading hypothesis states that the combination of exposure to toxic chemicals and environmental stressors (e.g., bug spray, anti-gas vaccines, heat, and war stress) are responsible for a cluster of debilitating symptoms known as Gulf War Illness. Recent research has found that over-the-counter antioxidant supplements such as resveratrol may reverse the damage that causes these debilitating symptoms. Resveratrol is a nutrient found abundantly in the skin of red grapes that is known to have robust antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. A recent clinical trial found that 26 weeks of treatment with resveratrol improved memory and mood in healthy, overweight older adults as well as induced changes in brain areas involved with memory and mood as observed via brain scans. There were also no reported side effects. This clinical trial suggests that the benefits of resveratrol treatment far outweigh any risks and that functional improvements should be apparent in at least 26 weeks. We will investigate if resveratrol can similarly reverse some of the debilitating symptoms in Veterans who suffer from Gulf War Illness. We predict that resveratrol treatment will improve memory issues, difficulties with thinking, and mood problems in Veterans with Gulf War Illness, and that resveratrol will do so with minimal risk. Positive findings would result in rapid movement to clinical recommendations for treatment given that resveratrol is readily available in U.S. drug stores.