Arturo Arellano-Eguiluz

In postmenopausal women, due to endocrine changes, there is an increase in oxidative stress (OS) that predisposes them to cardiovascular and metabolic alterations. Sixty-one percent of women in this stage require a primary therapeutic strategy to decrease OS. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of resveratrol and vitamin C on OS in postmenopausal women. A randomized, double-blind clinical trial was carried out. Forty-six postmenopausal women with insulin resistance (HOMA-IR > 2.5) were included and divided into three treatment groups: group A: resveratrol, n = 13; group B: resveratrol + vitamin C, n = 15; and group C: vitamin C, n = 14. Between before and after the antioxidants, group B showed a decrease of 33% in lipohydroperoxides (p = 0.02), and malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased by 26% (p = 0.0007), 32% (p = 0.0001), and 38% (p = 0.0001) in groups A–C, respectively. For protein damage, group B is the most representative, with a decrease of 39% (p = 0.0001). For total antioxidant capacity (TAC), there were significant increases of 30% and 28% in groups B and C, respectively. For HOMA-IR, there were no significant differences among the study groups. Supplementation with this combination of antioxidants significantly decreases markers of OS in postmenopausal women. In addition, it increases TAC by up to 30%.

In the reproductive phase, women experience cyclic changes in the ovaries and uterus, and hormones regulate these changes. Menopause is the permanent loss of menstruation after 12 months of amenorrhea. Menopause is also linked to a decrease in estrogen production, causing an imbalance in oxidative stress. We aimed to compare the three stages of lipid peroxidation, protein oxidative damage, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) between reproductive-aged women (RAW) and postmenopausal women (PMW) in Mexico. We carried out a cross-sectional study with 84 women from Mexico City, including 40 RAW and 44 PMW. To determine the oxidative stress of the participants, several markers of lipid damage were measured: dienes conjugates (DC), lipohydroperoxides (LHP), and malondialdehyde (MDA); exposure to protein carbonyl is indicative of oxidative modified proteins, and TAC is indicative of the antioxidant defense system. Biomarkers of oxidative stress were significantly lower in RAW vs. PMW. DC were 1.31 ± 0.65 vs. 1.7 ± 0.51 pmol DC/mg dry weight (p = 0.0032); LHP were 4.95 ± 2.20 vs. 11.30 ± 4.24 pmol LHP/mg dry weight (p < 0.0001); malondialdehyde was 20.37 ± 8.20 vs. 26.10 ± 8.71 pmol MDA/mg dry weight (p = 0.0030); exposure of protein carbonyl was 3954 ± 884 vs. 4552 ± 1445 pmol PC/mg protein (p = 0.042); and TAC was 7244 ± 1512 vs. 8099 ± 1931 pmol Trolox equivalent/mg protein (p = 0.027). PMW display significantly higher oxidative stress markers compared to RAW; likewise, PMW show a higher TAC.