The statements that IC head of the UMCG, Peter van der Voort, made on Friday evening in the TV program Jinek, were criticized from various sides. Still, he doesn’t take back a word from what he said.
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In the broadcast, the professor said that there are strong indications that the dietary supplement resveratrol may prevent corona patients from ending up in intensive care. Resveratrol is a so-called antioxidant, which also lowers leptin in the blood. Leptin is a substance that is relatively common in corona patients and people who are (significantly) overweight.
Van der Voort says that he made his statements in the TV broadcast deliberately. “We are asking a lot of sacrifices from citizens today. I think they should know how it works in return. They are entitled to that. “
The statements seem premature to me – Jaap Seidell – professor of nutrition and health at VU Amsterdam
Short on the bend?
Critics believe that Van der Voort has gone too far with his statements. One of them is Jaap Seidell, professor of nutrition and health at VU University Amsterdam. “The statements seem premature to me. Although resveratrol has a number of interesting properties, the aforementioned effect on leptin has not been demonstrated in scientific research. ‘
Van der Voort insists that more research is needed. “I had never heard of resveratrol before. We did literature research, which in turn led to an initial research model. After that we took several measurements, but nothing has been proven yet. “
The relevant excerpt from the broadcast:
After his statements on television, there was a run on the drug, which is simply for sale at the drugstore. That is people’s own responsibility, says Van der Voort. “I didn’t tell people to swallow that. So I don’t recommend it. Certainly not in large quantities, because it is never good to swallow too much of something. “
More research
The IC head also wanted to encourage scientists to do more research on the link between leptin, resveratrol and the coronavirus with his TV appearance, precisely because the initial results seem encouraging, he says. “We must all tackle this together. After all, it is a complicated investigation. “
According to him, it is not yet possible to say when the first evidence has been found for the positive effect of resveratrol in corona patients. “That will certainly not be in the short term. Many suitable patients are needed for this research, and we do not have enough of them yet. “
Also read:
– ICC head of UMCG: ‘Hormone causes thrombosis in corona patients’
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