Danish researchers have discovered that resveratrol, a compound found in red wine and grapes, could possibly be used as a treatment for osteoporosis.

The natural plant compound has been found to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels by stimulating bone-forming cells in the body to combat spinal bone density issues in men with metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is group of risk factors that include reduced HDL cholesterol levels, high levels of triglyceride fat in the blood, abdominal obesity and high fasting blood sugar levels. These factors can increase the risk of stroke, diabetes and developing heart disease, and has been linked to inflammation that can cause bone loss.

The researchers conducted a 16-week trial that separated 66 middle-aged men with metabolic syndrome into three groups: one group received a 500-milligram dose of resveratrol twice a day, the second group a 75-milligram dose and a placebo was given to the third group. The cluster that took the 500-milligram dose had a 2.6 percent increase in lumbar spine volumetric bone mineral density and a 16 percent increase of bone formation marker bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) over the group that took the placebo. According to one of the study’s authors Marie Juul Ornstrup, this study is the first to present resveratrol as a potential anti-osteoporosis drug, and its findings lead the way for additional research.