Nature's treatment for disease
(NaturalNews) Just how good is resveratrol at preventing cancer and heart disease? It's so good that drug companies are trying to mimic its molecules in order to claim they're "creating" a new drug to prevent heart disease.
But this is Mother Nature's miracle drug -- only it's not a drug. It's a molecule synthesized by plants for protecting themselves! And it turns out the same molecule can protect you from cancer, heart disease and a whole lot more.
I wanted you to read about the amazing benefits of resveratrol, so I put together this collection of quotes from top authors in the field. Read it to learn the truth about resveratrol that the drug companies and the FDA hope you never find out...
Resveratrol is a naturally occurring phytoalexin produced by some higher plants in response to injury or fungal infection. Phytoalexinsare chemical substances produced by plants as a defense against infection by pathogenic microorganisms, such as fungi. Alexin is from Greek, meaning to ward off or to protect. Resveratrol may also have alexin-like activity for humans.
- PDR for Nutritional Supplements by Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik
- Available on Amazon.com
Found in many plants as a phytoalexin, resveratrol is abundant in the skins of red grapes (Vitis vinifera). It has been suggested that resveratrol underlies the phenomenon known as the "French paradox." Wine is the most notable dietary source of this compound; a fluid ounce of red wine contains an average of 160 pg of resveratrol.
- Medical Herbalism: The Science Principles and Practices Of Herbal Medicine by David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
- Available on Amazon.com
Grape juice contains resveratrol, as does cranberry juice, but at levels that are ten times less than those in red. Resveratrol content in different food and beverages: (uG 100 G), OyG/125 ML)Grapes 1,500, Red wine 625, Peanuts 150, White wine 38, Peanut butter 50, Grape juice 65, Blueberries 3, Cranberry juice 65, Raisins 0.01; resveratrol concentration in red wine varies greatly from one grape variety to another and from one region to another, with values ranging from 1 to 13 mg/l.
- Foods that Fight Cancer by Richard Beliveau, Ph.D. and Denis Gingras, Ph.D.
- Available on Amazon.com
When incubated with hepatoma cells, resveratrol induced Phase II detoxifying enzymes that detoxified and inhibited the proliferation of these cells. Resveratrol also inhibited the development of preneoplastic lesions when mice were exposed to tumor initiators and promoters. Grape skins, leaves, juice and red wine are all good sources of resveratrol.
(NaturalNews) A wealth of new research findings continue to underscore the wonders of resveratrol, the compound discovered only a few years ago that has already achieved superstar status. Found predominately in red wine, grapes and peanuts, resveratrol is now showing to significantly impact the aging process, regulate for positive cardiovascular function, and protect against and reverse cancer.
Newest research finding
Researchers at Zhejiang University in China investigated the effect of injections of resveratrol on the central regulation of blood pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity in animals. Their results suggest that resveratrol powerfully inhibits blood pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity. This study has tremendous implications for anti-aging therapies.
In the July 26, 2008 Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers addressed the question of the potential chemo-preventative activity of resveratrol against human cancers and its effect on normal cells. They examined the differential effect of resveratrol at physiologically relevant concentrations on nonmalignant and malignant cell lines and compared the underlying mechanisms via cell cycle modulation, induction of cell death, and potential toxicity. They found that 24 hours of exposure to resveratrol was toxic to both nonmalignant and malignant cells in a dose dependent manner. However, nonmalignant cells re-grew 5 times more than malignant cells after 120 hours. Significant alterations in cell cycle kinetics were induced by resveratrol in the malignant cells, but to a lesser extent for the nonmalignant cells. The proportion of cell death was 3 times higher in malignant cells compared to nonmalignant cells.
This research confirms that resveratrol produces a selective action that is able to target malignant cells for destruction while allowing nonmalignant cells to modulate its effect. It is just this type of malignant cell action that chemotherapy aims to achieve. However, the effects of chemotherapy are also toxic to healthy cells.
Apoptosis, July 26, 2008 reports a search for compounds capable of protecting cells against deoxycholate, a bile salt that harms cells and causes disease. In colon epithelial cells, deoxycholate increased generation of reactive oxygen species and caused DNA damage and cell death. Resveratrol and also quercetin were each able to largely prevent the occurrence of cell death in cells exposed to deoxycholate. These findings suggest that resveratrol may be able to undo cellular damage that leads to colon cancer.
The July 9, 2008 Experimental Gerontology reports researchers finding that resveratrol is able to mimic the effects of rigorous calorie restriction in several cytoskeletal maintenance and multiple stress response pathways. This effect is achieved by control of mitochondrial biogenesis and turnover, critical factors in the maintenance of energy production, the prevention of endogenous oxidative stress, and the promotion of healthy aging. Previous research has revealed the healthy benefits associated with daily caloric restriction of between 30 and 50 percent below what is considered today as average. These benefits also occur as the result of fasting. Such diets have been linked to reduction in the risk of age associated diseases and stress, along with a slowing of age related functional decline. In a previous study, this research team found that consuming resveratrol improved the health and survival of obese mice, even while they continued to consume a high calorie diet. Resveratrol showed to have the same positive effect on the livers, muscles, hearts and bones as calorie restriction. Resveratrol has also been shown to extend the lives of yeast, worms, flies and fish.
In another study at Zhejiang University in China researchers investigated the effects of resveratrol on adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation. Compared with the control group, resveratrol inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation and fibrinogen in a dose dependent manner. The accumulation of platelets can form clots which may result in heart attack by lodging in an artery and restricting blood flow to the heart or brain.
About resveratrol
Resveratrol's most abundant source is the grapes used to make red wine, with the highest concentrations being found in the skins. Red wine contains approximately 160 micrograms per fluid ounce. Significant amounts of resveratrol are also found in peanut kernels, with one ounce of peanuts containing about 73 micrograms, the amount also contained in 6 cups of red grapes. It is a component of Ko-jo-kon, an oriental medicine used to treat diseases of the circulatory system, heart and liver. Since wine is the most notable dietary source, it is the primary object of speculation and research on resveratrol, although wine contains many other compounds with biologic effects.
Resveratrol's properties as an antioxidant and anti-cancer agent are rapidly becoming documented, and it is sometimes referred to as an explanation for the "French Paradox", the low incidence of heart disease in the French population who eat a relatively high fat diet. In grape and peanuts plants, resveratrol's role is antibiotic and part of the defense system.
Other documented effects
Results from various research studies have shown resveratrol to be protective against the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the blood. It is this oxidation of LDL that initiates the deposition of cholesterol in the walls of the arteries that can lead to heart attack. Its hydrophilic and lipophilic properties can provide more effective protection than other well-known antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E.
Research at the University of Illinois in Chicago using resveratrol extracted from grapes found that the threat of cancer was reduced in animals when the compound was used to stop the growth of damaged cells. Had these damaged cells been left to grow, they would have become out of control, resulting in cancer.
The Peanut Institute has concluded that the finding of resveratrol in peanuts may support epidemiological studies from Loma Linda University, Harvard School of Public Health and University of Minnesota that show peanuts may reduce the risk of heart disease by more than half when eaten frequently in small amounts.
Should you supplement with resveratrol?
Research on resveratrol is just beginning to reveal its array of health benefits, and many extracts of resveratrol are appearing on the market that make adding it to your diet very easy. Probably the best choice is to add a glass of red wine or peanuts to your diet. Both red wine and peanuts have been proven to provide very significant overall health benefits. The consumption of red wine is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, found to be extraordinarily health promoting. It is in red wine and peanuts that resveratrol is found in nature, suggesting that this is how nature intended for us to consume it. When any compound is part of a whole food, it is a part of a complex of balanced compounds that give it an integrity not found when it appears as an isolated extract.
Additional reference:
Melissa Q.B.McElderry, M.S., R.D., "Grape Expectations: The Resveratrol Story".
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There are a lot of great anti-aging and metabolism boosting nutrients: DHA, pantethine, acetyl-l-carnitine, carnosine, R-alpha lipoic acid, grape seed extracts the list goes on and on. In fact, most nutrients help cells function better and thus live longer. So, why is resveratrol vying for the position as King of the anti-aging nutrients with a potent fat-burning twist thrown in for good measure?
Maybe we should ask Big Pharma, who is spending a pile of cash on metabolites of resveratrol that they hope to patent as weight loss drugs, diabetes drugs, and a new generation of anti-aging medicines. Part of the way resveratrol works is by activating a powerful metabolic fat-burning and anti-aging gene called SIRT1. In newly published Big Pharma animal research, their resveratrol drug activated SIRT1, prevented weight gain on a high fat diet, improved blood sugar and insulin function, and doubled the exercise endurance of the mice.
Interestingly, resveratrol dietary supplements have been shown to do essentially the same thing. The resveratrol drug (SRT1720) is apparently six times more potent at activating SIRT1 than plain resveratrol. However, plain resveratrol operates in a number of different ways besides activating SIRT1, providing a broader base of potential health benefits including comprehensive cardiovascular support.
Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol known as a stilbenoid, which is produced in grapes and blueberries to protect themselves from bacterial and fungal infection, and to a lesser extent from UV radiation. It was discovered that grapes growing in damp and moldy areas had the highest content of resveratrol of any known commonly consumed food/beverage. Resveratrol is obviously a potent anti-fungal compound and antioxidant.
Resveratrol is a different compound than the flavonoid proanthocyanidins of grape seed extracts, which also contribute to the notion of the French Paradox. Blueberries, by comparison, also contain flavonoids and a different stilbenoid called pterostilbene (pronounced "tero-STILL-bean"). Significant research at the USDA has shown that pterostilbene has a powerful ability to influence the metabolism of cholesterol and the synthesis of triglycerides by improving metabolism within cells, as well as providing brain-protecting anti-aging properties.
The amount of resveratrol in a bottle of red wine varies from 2 mg to 14 mg, mostly on the lower side. Dietary supplements of resveratrol are typically derived from the roots of Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), a far more economical source than grapes. Doses will range from a basic protective dose of a few milligrams (like a bottle of red wine), up to 100 mg per serving or more (a therapeutic dose).
Resveratrol is readily absorbed, reaching peak blood levels in 30 minutes, and then rather rapidly cleared by your liver. Thus, it is better to spread out intake during the day than to take a large amount all at once.
At this point, other than the colorful history and longevity benefits associated with red wine consumption, the majority of the extensive resveratrol research has been carried out with cell studies and small animals. The implications of this research are mind-boggling, clearly showing significant extension of life span.
Many experiments with animals show that by restricting calorie intake, SIRT1 is naturally activated, a finding that goes along with a noticeably extended lifespan, better fat and cholesterol metabolism, more efficient immune function, and better cardiovascular health. A number of humans have taken up calorie restriction experiments on themselves, and pictures of them do not portray the portrait of health. In fact, you would be hard pressed to pick out of a line-up someone on a self-induced calorie restriction diet and someone coming in for anorexia treatment. Which gets to my point, what is the difference between a calorie restriction diet and anorexia?
I have studied the calorie restriction science for 20 years and I am also the leading diet expert on the fat-derived hormone leptin, which is the overall boss hormone that controls your metabolic rate and your ability to survive a period of famine. Thus, I will give you answers in this area that you won't find elsewhere. There is a very fine line between prolonged calorie restriction and anorexia.
In the case of someone consuming too much food, their extra pounds of fat crank out inflammatory messengers (TNFa and IL6), in turn stimulating the liver to make the inflammatory CRP. This combination of inflammation induces significant free radical damage in the circulatory system and all around the body. As the waistline expands the volume knob on inflammation and free radical production is turned up. At the same time the liver becomes clogged with fat, which in turn is "cooked" by free radicals from the inflammation, eventually sending the liver on the path to looking like a fried piece of bacon. Arteries are also getting fat around the outside of the arterial wall structure, in turn generating more inflammation to the inside of arteries and deactivating friendly nitric oxide production. This makes blood pressure go up and blood not flow well and further induces free radical production in arteries that damages LDL cholesterol, promoting the formation of plaque.
In this scenario leptin levels are also high (leptin resistance), which lowers another fat-derived hormone called adiponectin, in turn causing a bad mood and insulin resistance that leads to type II diabetes. Leptin problems cripple thyroid function as well as promoting never-ending cravings to eat more food. This is the precise metabolic profile of millions of Americans on the fast track to diabetes, heart disease, and poor health. Ironically, they are being poisoned to death by too much food with no easy way out of the misguided subconscious drive to continue excess eating.
It is important to understand that just about everyone who is overweight and having trouble with their cravings has high leptin in their blood (leptin resistance), and that leptin is not getting into their brains correctly (a false state of misperceived starvation). Leptin resistance is caused by consistently eating meals that are too large, by eating after dinner at night, and by snacking.
Human beings do not have the genes to deal with the abuse of eating too much food, as during evolution this was never the problem. Rather, a scarcity of food was the primary issue that constantly threatened the survival of the human race and so it is that we have a lot of mechanisms built in to help deal with starvation. The ability to survive famine is controlled by leptin. During famine leptin levels have gone low as your fat mass that secretes leptin in the first place has been reduced in size to use the stored fat for energy, which is how your subconscious brain knows a famine is occurring.
In response to this low-leptin famine issue, your liver turns on the production of SIRT1. This helps your liver know to break down fat to use as fuel, not store calories as fat, as well as to boost physical energy to be able to hunt or gather new food.
Considering all the interest in both SIRT1 and leptin, the number of studies linking the function of the two is remarkably absent from the literature. New research shows that SIRT1 is active in key regions of your brain that relate to appetite and energy, which are governed by leptin. Leptin deficient mice do not activate SIRT1 properly, and are always obese. The details of this relationship are far from clear. It is easy to predict that low levels of leptin from true starvation are able to trigger SIRT1 activation in your liver based on messages received from SIRT1 signaling systems in your brain. It is also easy to predict that high levels of leptin in your blood (obesity-related leptin resistance) turn SIRT1 off as they would be signaling your liver that famine is over or not happening.
As you begin to diet (especially if you follow the Leptin Diet) and drop your first 10-15 pounds you will clear high leptin from your blood, which is always reflected by your cravings going away. For a while your body is set to burn more calories based on your pre-dieting metabolic set point. The problem for many people is that you hit a plateau after a month or so of dieting that is too far from your goal weight.
If you eat less you can't function. Your head is heavy, you are irritable, your sleep gets disturbed, your immune system goes on the blink, and you are much more likely to get sick. If you exercise more you must eat more or you will be completely exhausted and feel even worse. If you get stressed, unlike the stress-free monkeys practicing calorie restriction, you are in real trouble and likely to eat the house down. Yes, you are practicing calorie restriction how on earth is this state of feeling going to help you live longer? Answer its not. You start generating inflammation the longer you are in this condition. The inflammation is no longer coming from your extra pounds of fat. It is coming from the trauma of the diet combined with stressors in your life.
Under these circumstances you are much more likely to break down muscle, a key sign of inappropriate weight loss. If you keep trying to lose weight while you feel this way you may be able to do so, but you will progressively lose more muscle, increase inflammation, generate a lot of free radical damage, disturb digestion, get sick really easily, and presto you are anorexic. Funny thing is, you may still be an overweight anorexic. Wow is that any way to diet?
Solving this dilemma requires that you eat in harmony with leptin, which means following the five simple rules of the Leptin Diet. In many cases you will never hit this problematic plateau. However, many people will, especially if they have a history of yo-yo dieting. Enter resveratrol. Resveratrol is an ideal nutrient to enhance weight loss and maintain energy ONCE YOU HAVE GOTTEN PAST THE INITITAL PHASE OF 10-15 POUNDS OF WEIGHT LOSS, especially if you are getting stuck at a plateau.
Resveratrol will help turn on the SIRT1 gene, which will promote fat-burning in the presence of lower calorie intake. This is a terrific use of this nutrient. How do you know it's working? You have energy to exercise, you feel good, and your weight is trending downward while you are happy eating less food. This either is or isn't happening, thus it isn't very hard to figure out if resveratrol helps you.
Research indicates that resveratrol will still help you out even if you aren't dieting or you don't need to lose weight. After all, the French had resveratrol in their diet when they were mostly thin. I might point out, however, that while the French were eating a higher saturated fat diet they were not overeating, their food was fresh and mostly organic, and they did not snack. The effects of resveratrol will be easily overloaded by overeating. Even the French Paradox has been doomed by an epidemic of leptin-disrupting snacking and junk food consumption.
Having a large waistline is clearly linked to premature death, a risk that goes up in direct proportion to your waistline's rate of expansion. Anything safe and natural that can help you get it back to optimal and keep it that way qualifies as life extending.
There is plenty of animal and cell science to predict that resveratrol assists the healthy structure and function of your cardiovascular system in multiple ways. It has been found to reduce the stickiness or adherence of immune cells to the walls of arteries, prevent adverse changes in the smooth muscle cells of arteries that lead to plaque accumulation, boost friendly nitric oxide levels (eNOS) that relax arteries and improve blood flow, help keep platelets from sticking together, reduce irregular heart beats, and reduce circulatory inflammation. It even helps protect against circulatory damage from high blood sugar. Keep in mind that in "modern" medicine, each one of these points requires a different drug that has other adverse side effects.
One of the first human resveratrol studies shows that resveratrol improved heart function in type II diabetic patients following a heart attack.
Resveratrol, like grape seed extract, operates in part as a protector of human body structure. This is clearly related to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which include regulation of the primary inflammatory gene switch NF-kappaB. New animal and cell studies shows it helps bone health, reduces cataracts, helps coordination, reduces disk deterioration and protects joints, guards against Parkinson's, improves erectile performance, protects the liver, protects the pancreas, and helps regulate cell health while protecting against adverse cell changes.
This is a rather impressive array of science-backed support for any one nutrient. Maybe the anti-aging promise is real. The explosion of scientific interest in the compound ensures that you will be hearing a lot more about it in the very near future.
Common doses of resveratrol that show benefit and safety in animal studies range from 2.5 mg to 10 mg per kilogram. This translates to an approximate dose range of 150 mg 700 mg per day for a 150 pound adult, a sensible and safe dose range until more data is in.
For a fully referenced version of this article:
http://www.wellnessresources.com/ti...
For more health articles by this author:
http://www.wellnessresources.com/he...
About the author: Byron J. Richards, Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist, nationally-renowned nutrition expert, and founder of Wellness Resources is a leader in advocating the value of dietary supplements as a vital tool to maintain health. He is an outspoken critic of government and Big Pharma efforts to deny access to natural health products and has written extensively on the life-shortening and health-damaging failures of the sickness industry. www.wellnessresources.com askbyron@wellnessresources.com
But this is Mother Nature's miracle drug -- only it's not a drug. It's a molecule synthesized by plants for protecting themselves! And it turns out the same molecule can protect you from cancer, heart disease and a whole lot more.
I wanted you to read about the amazing benefits of resveratrol, so I put together this collection of quotes from top authors in the field. Read it to learn the truth about resveratrol that the drug companies and the FDA hope you never find out...
Authors' Quotes on Resveratrol
(Feel free to quote these in your own work provided you give proper credit to both the original author quoted here and this NaturalNews page.)Resveratrol is a naturally occurring phytoalexin produced by some higher plants in response to injury or fungal infection. Phytoalexinsare chemical substances produced by plants as a defense against infection by pathogenic microorganisms, such as fungi. Alexin is from Greek, meaning to ward off or to protect. Resveratrol may also have alexin-like activity for humans.
- PDR for Nutritional Supplements by Sheldon Saul Hendler and David Rorvik
- Available on Amazon.com
Found in many plants as a phytoalexin, resveratrol is abundant in the skins of red grapes (Vitis vinifera). It has been suggested that resveratrol underlies the phenomenon known as the "French paradox." Wine is the most notable dietary source of this compound; a fluid ounce of red wine contains an average of 160 pg of resveratrol.
- Medical Herbalism: The Science Principles and Practices Of Herbal Medicine by David Hoffman, FNIMH, AHG
- Available on Amazon.com
Grape juice contains resveratrol, as does cranberry juice, but at levels that are ten times less than those in red. Resveratrol content in different food and beverages: (uG 100 G), OyG/125 ML)Grapes 1,500, Red wine 625, Peanuts 150, White wine 38, Peanut butter 50, Grape juice 65, Blueberries 3, Cranberry juice 65, Raisins 0.01; resveratrol concentration in red wine varies greatly from one grape variety to another and from one region to another, with values ranging from 1 to 13 mg/l.
- Foods that Fight Cancer by Richard Beliveau, Ph.D. and Denis Gingras, Ph.D.
- Available on Amazon.com
When incubated with hepatoma cells, resveratrol induced Phase II detoxifying enzymes that detoxified and inhibited the proliferation of these cells. Resveratrol also inhibited the development of preneoplastic lesions when mice were exposed to tumor initiators and promoters. Grape skins, leaves, juice and red wine are all good sources of resveratrol.
(NaturalNews) A wealth of new research findings continue to underscore the wonders of resveratrol, the compound discovered only a few years ago that has already achieved superstar status. Found predominately in red wine, grapes and peanuts, resveratrol is now showing to significantly impact the aging process, regulate for positive cardiovascular function, and protect against and reverse cancer.
Newest research finding
Researchers at Zhejiang University in China investigated the effect of injections of resveratrol on the central regulation of blood pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity in animals. Their results suggest that resveratrol powerfully inhibits blood pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity. This study has tremendous implications for anti-aging therapies.
In the July 26, 2008 Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers addressed the question of the potential chemo-preventative activity of resveratrol against human cancers and its effect on normal cells. They examined the differential effect of resveratrol at physiologically relevant concentrations on nonmalignant and malignant cell lines and compared the underlying mechanisms via cell cycle modulation, induction of cell death, and potential toxicity. They found that 24 hours of exposure to resveratrol was toxic to both nonmalignant and malignant cells in a dose dependent manner. However, nonmalignant cells re-grew 5 times more than malignant cells after 120 hours. Significant alterations in cell cycle kinetics were induced by resveratrol in the malignant cells, but to a lesser extent for the nonmalignant cells. The proportion of cell death was 3 times higher in malignant cells compared to nonmalignant cells.
This research confirms that resveratrol produces a selective action that is able to target malignant cells for destruction while allowing nonmalignant cells to modulate its effect. It is just this type of malignant cell action that chemotherapy aims to achieve. However, the effects of chemotherapy are also toxic to healthy cells.
Apoptosis, July 26, 2008 reports a search for compounds capable of protecting cells against deoxycholate, a bile salt that harms cells and causes disease. In colon epithelial cells, deoxycholate increased generation of reactive oxygen species and caused DNA damage and cell death. Resveratrol and also quercetin were each able to largely prevent the occurrence of cell death in cells exposed to deoxycholate. These findings suggest that resveratrol may be able to undo cellular damage that leads to colon cancer.
The July 9, 2008 Experimental Gerontology reports researchers finding that resveratrol is able to mimic the effects of rigorous calorie restriction in several cytoskeletal maintenance and multiple stress response pathways. This effect is achieved by control of mitochondrial biogenesis and turnover, critical factors in the maintenance of energy production, the prevention of endogenous oxidative stress, and the promotion of healthy aging. Previous research has revealed the healthy benefits associated with daily caloric restriction of between 30 and 50 percent below what is considered today as average. These benefits also occur as the result of fasting. Such diets have been linked to reduction in the risk of age associated diseases and stress, along with a slowing of age related functional decline. In a previous study, this research team found that consuming resveratrol improved the health and survival of obese mice, even while they continued to consume a high calorie diet. Resveratrol showed to have the same positive effect on the livers, muscles, hearts and bones as calorie restriction. Resveratrol has also been shown to extend the lives of yeast, worms, flies and fish.
In another study at Zhejiang University in China researchers investigated the effects of resveratrol on adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation. Compared with the control group, resveratrol inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation and fibrinogen in a dose dependent manner. The accumulation of platelets can form clots which may result in heart attack by lodging in an artery and restricting blood flow to the heart or brain.
About resveratrol
Resveratrol's most abundant source is the grapes used to make red wine, with the highest concentrations being found in the skins. Red wine contains approximately 160 micrograms per fluid ounce. Significant amounts of resveratrol are also found in peanut kernels, with one ounce of peanuts containing about 73 micrograms, the amount also contained in 6 cups of red grapes. It is a component of Ko-jo-kon, an oriental medicine used to treat diseases of the circulatory system, heart and liver. Since wine is the most notable dietary source, it is the primary object of speculation and research on resveratrol, although wine contains many other compounds with biologic effects.
Resveratrol's properties as an antioxidant and anti-cancer agent are rapidly becoming documented, and it is sometimes referred to as an explanation for the "French Paradox", the low incidence of heart disease in the French population who eat a relatively high fat diet. In grape and peanuts plants, resveratrol's role is antibiotic and part of the defense system.
Other documented effects
Results from various research studies have shown resveratrol to be protective against the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the blood. It is this oxidation of LDL that initiates the deposition of cholesterol in the walls of the arteries that can lead to heart attack. Its hydrophilic and lipophilic properties can provide more effective protection than other well-known antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E.
Research at the University of Illinois in Chicago using resveratrol extracted from grapes found that the threat of cancer was reduced in animals when the compound was used to stop the growth of damaged cells. Had these damaged cells been left to grow, they would have become out of control, resulting in cancer.
The Peanut Institute has concluded that the finding of resveratrol in peanuts may support epidemiological studies from Loma Linda University, Harvard School of Public Health and University of Minnesota that show peanuts may reduce the risk of heart disease by more than half when eaten frequently in small amounts.
Should you supplement with resveratrol?
Research on resveratrol is just beginning to reveal its array of health benefits, and many extracts of resveratrol are appearing on the market that make adding it to your diet very easy. Probably the best choice is to add a glass of red wine or peanuts to your diet. Both red wine and peanuts have been proven to provide very significant overall health benefits. The consumption of red wine is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, found to be extraordinarily health promoting. It is in red wine and peanuts that resveratrol is found in nature, suggesting that this is how nature intended for us to consume it. When any compound is part of a whole food, it is a part of a complex of balanced compounds that give it an integrity not found when it appears as an isolated extract.
Additional reference:
Melissa Q.B.McElderry, M.S., R.D., "Grape Expectations: The Resveratrol Story".
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Maybe we should ask Big Pharma, who is spending a pile of cash on metabolites of resveratrol that they hope to patent as weight loss drugs, diabetes drugs, and a new generation of anti-aging medicines. Part of the way resveratrol works is by activating a powerful metabolic fat-burning and anti-aging gene called SIRT1. In newly published Big Pharma animal research, their resveratrol drug activated SIRT1, prevented weight gain on a high fat diet, improved blood sugar and insulin function, and doubled the exercise endurance of the mice.
Interestingly, resveratrol dietary supplements have been shown to do essentially the same thing. The resveratrol drug (SRT1720) is apparently six times more potent at activating SIRT1 than plain resveratrol. However, plain resveratrol operates in a number of different ways besides activating SIRT1, providing a broader base of potential health benefits including comprehensive cardiovascular support.
What is Resveratrol?
Interest in resveratrol research took off when it was identified as a component in red wine that may be partly responsible for the "French Paradox," the ability to eat a higher fat diet with less heart disease than Americans. Research shows that resveratrol helps your liver metabolize fat and helps break down stored fat contained in your white adipose tissue.Resveratrol is a type of polyphenol known as a stilbenoid, which is produced in grapes and blueberries to protect themselves from bacterial and fungal infection, and to a lesser extent from UV radiation. It was discovered that grapes growing in damp and moldy areas had the highest content of resveratrol of any known commonly consumed food/beverage. Resveratrol is obviously a potent anti-fungal compound and antioxidant.
Resveratrol is a different compound than the flavonoid proanthocyanidins of grape seed extracts, which also contribute to the notion of the French Paradox. Blueberries, by comparison, also contain flavonoids and a different stilbenoid called pterostilbene (pronounced "tero-STILL-bean"). Significant research at the USDA has shown that pterostilbene has a powerful ability to influence the metabolism of cholesterol and the synthesis of triglycerides by improving metabolism within cells, as well as providing brain-protecting anti-aging properties.
The amount of resveratrol in a bottle of red wine varies from 2 mg to 14 mg, mostly on the lower side. Dietary supplements of resveratrol are typically derived from the roots of Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), a far more economical source than grapes. Doses will range from a basic protective dose of a few milligrams (like a bottle of red wine), up to 100 mg per serving or more (a therapeutic dose).
Resveratrol is readily absorbed, reaching peak blood levels in 30 minutes, and then rather rapidly cleared by your liver. Thus, it is better to spread out intake during the day than to take a large amount all at once.
At this point, other than the colorful history and longevity benefits associated with red wine consumption, the majority of the extensive resveratrol research has been carried out with cell studies and small animals. The implications of this research are mind-boggling, clearly showing significant extension of life span.
The Fat-Burning and Anti-Aging Properties of Resveratrol
SIRT1 first drew attention as the primary gene signal involved with the longevity benefits of calorie restriction. A very simple explanation is that when you are in a food scarcity situation, SIRT1 is activated so as to help break down your stored fat to use as fuel as well as to boost up your energy so that you have enough energy to hunt for new food. SIRT1 is part of a famine-related survival system.Many experiments with animals show that by restricting calorie intake, SIRT1 is naturally activated, a finding that goes along with a noticeably extended lifespan, better fat and cholesterol metabolism, more efficient immune function, and better cardiovascular health. A number of humans have taken up calorie restriction experiments on themselves, and pictures of them do not portray the portrait of health. In fact, you would be hard pressed to pick out of a line-up someone on a self-induced calorie restriction diet and someone coming in for anorexia treatment. Which gets to my point, what is the difference between a calorie restriction diet and anorexia?
I have studied the calorie restriction science for 20 years and I am also the leading diet expert on the fat-derived hormone leptin, which is the overall boss hormone that controls your metabolic rate and your ability to survive a period of famine. Thus, I will give you answers in this area that you won't find elsewhere. There is a very fine line between prolonged calorie restriction and anorexia.
In the case of someone consuming too much food, their extra pounds of fat crank out inflammatory messengers (TNFa and IL6), in turn stimulating the liver to make the inflammatory CRP. This combination of inflammation induces significant free radical damage in the circulatory system and all around the body. As the waistline expands the volume knob on inflammation and free radical production is turned up. At the same time the liver becomes clogged with fat, which in turn is "cooked" by free radicals from the inflammation, eventually sending the liver on the path to looking like a fried piece of bacon. Arteries are also getting fat around the outside of the arterial wall structure, in turn generating more inflammation to the inside of arteries and deactivating friendly nitric oxide production. This makes blood pressure go up and blood not flow well and further induces free radical production in arteries that damages LDL cholesterol, promoting the formation of plaque.
In this scenario leptin levels are also high (leptin resistance), which lowers another fat-derived hormone called adiponectin, in turn causing a bad mood and insulin resistance that leads to type II diabetes. Leptin problems cripple thyroid function as well as promoting never-ending cravings to eat more food. This is the precise metabolic profile of millions of Americans on the fast track to diabetes, heart disease, and poor health. Ironically, they are being poisoned to death by too much food with no easy way out of the misguided subconscious drive to continue excess eating.
It is important to understand that just about everyone who is overweight and having trouble with their cravings has high leptin in their blood (leptin resistance), and that leptin is not getting into their brains correctly (a false state of misperceived starvation). Leptin resistance is caused by consistently eating meals that are too large, by eating after dinner at night, and by snacking.
Human beings do not have the genes to deal with the abuse of eating too much food, as during evolution this was never the problem. Rather, a scarcity of food was the primary issue that constantly threatened the survival of the human race and so it is that we have a lot of mechanisms built in to help deal with starvation. The ability to survive famine is controlled by leptin. During famine leptin levels have gone low as your fat mass that secretes leptin in the first place has been reduced in size to use the stored fat for energy, which is how your subconscious brain knows a famine is occurring.
In response to this low-leptin famine issue, your liver turns on the production of SIRT1. This helps your liver know to break down fat to use as fuel, not store calories as fat, as well as to boost physical energy to be able to hunt or gather new food.
Considering all the interest in both SIRT1 and leptin, the number of studies linking the function of the two is remarkably absent from the literature. New research shows that SIRT1 is active in key regions of your brain that relate to appetite and energy, which are governed by leptin. Leptin deficient mice do not activate SIRT1 properly, and are always obese. The details of this relationship are far from clear. It is easy to predict that low levels of leptin from true starvation are able to trigger SIRT1 activation in your liver based on messages received from SIRT1 signaling systems in your brain. It is also easy to predict that high levels of leptin in your blood (obesity-related leptin resistance) turn SIRT1 off as they would be signaling your liver that famine is over or not happening.
As you begin to diet (especially if you follow the Leptin Diet) and drop your first 10-15 pounds you will clear high leptin from your blood, which is always reflected by your cravings going away. For a while your body is set to burn more calories based on your pre-dieting metabolic set point. The problem for many people is that you hit a plateau after a month or so of dieting that is too far from your goal weight.
If you eat less you can't function. Your head is heavy, you are irritable, your sleep gets disturbed, your immune system goes on the blink, and you are much more likely to get sick. If you exercise more you must eat more or you will be completely exhausted and feel even worse. If you get stressed, unlike the stress-free monkeys practicing calorie restriction, you are in real trouble and likely to eat the house down. Yes, you are practicing calorie restriction how on earth is this state of feeling going to help you live longer? Answer its not. You start generating inflammation the longer you are in this condition. The inflammation is no longer coming from your extra pounds of fat. It is coming from the trauma of the diet combined with stressors in your life.
Under these circumstances you are much more likely to break down muscle, a key sign of inappropriate weight loss. If you keep trying to lose weight while you feel this way you may be able to do so, but you will progressively lose more muscle, increase inflammation, generate a lot of free radical damage, disturb digestion, get sick really easily, and presto you are anorexic. Funny thing is, you may still be an overweight anorexic. Wow is that any way to diet?
Eating in harmony with leptin
If you start eating more food you will feel much better. Unfortunately, you messed with leptin in the wrong way. Leptin now turns off SIRT1 and goes into a famine-recovery mode. It commands that a large portion of the calories you are now eating go back to fat storage. Most people find themselves rapidly gaining weight on formerly normal amounts of food. Once the yo-yo routine comes to a halt you are likely to find yourself 5-10 pounds heavier than when you first started, as an insurance policy in case you attempt another dieting stunt in the future.Solving this dilemma requires that you eat in harmony with leptin, which means following the five simple rules of the Leptin Diet. In many cases you will never hit this problematic plateau. However, many people will, especially if they have a history of yo-yo dieting. Enter resveratrol. Resveratrol is an ideal nutrient to enhance weight loss and maintain energy ONCE YOU HAVE GOTTEN PAST THE INITITAL PHASE OF 10-15 POUNDS OF WEIGHT LOSS, especially if you are getting stuck at a plateau.
Resveratrol will help turn on the SIRT1 gene, which will promote fat-burning in the presence of lower calorie intake. This is a terrific use of this nutrient. How do you know it's working? You have energy to exercise, you feel good, and your weight is trending downward while you are happy eating less food. This either is or isn't happening, thus it isn't very hard to figure out if resveratrol helps you.
How resveratrol enhances your weight loss efforts
One of the real values of this nutrient in the weight management context is helping you to not slide into an inflammatory anorexic-like metabolic problem as you try to lose weight. It is also a tool to help you break through weight loss plateaus should they occur. Resveratrol will work best when you are eating less food and have already cleared surplus leptin out of your blood through initial dieting efforts. However, you don't need to eat so little that you are on the scarecrow diet.Research indicates that resveratrol will still help you out even if you aren't dieting or you don't need to lose weight. After all, the French had resveratrol in their diet when they were mostly thin. I might point out, however, that while the French were eating a higher saturated fat diet they were not overeating, their food was fresh and mostly organic, and they did not snack. The effects of resveratrol will be easily overloaded by overeating. Even the French Paradox has been doomed by an epidemic of leptin-disrupting snacking and junk food consumption.
Having a large waistline is clearly linked to premature death, a risk that goes up in direct proportion to your waistline's rate of expansion. Anything safe and natural that can help you get it back to optimal and keep it that way qualifies as life extending.
Cardiovascular and Other Benefits of Resveratrol
Simply losing weight healthfully will improve your cardiovascular health. If resveratrol is able to help you in this endeavor, regardless of any other cardiovascular help it provides, then it is a success as a cardio-friendly nutrient.There is plenty of animal and cell science to predict that resveratrol assists the healthy structure and function of your cardiovascular system in multiple ways. It has been found to reduce the stickiness or adherence of immune cells to the walls of arteries, prevent adverse changes in the smooth muscle cells of arteries that lead to plaque accumulation, boost friendly nitric oxide levels (eNOS) that relax arteries and improve blood flow, help keep platelets from sticking together, reduce irregular heart beats, and reduce circulatory inflammation. It even helps protect against circulatory damage from high blood sugar. Keep in mind that in "modern" medicine, each one of these points requires a different drug that has other adverse side effects.
One of the first human resveratrol studies shows that resveratrol improved heart function in type II diabetic patients following a heart attack.
Resveratrol, like grape seed extract, operates in part as a protector of human body structure. This is clearly related to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which include regulation of the primary inflammatory gene switch NF-kappaB. New animal and cell studies shows it helps bone health, reduces cataracts, helps coordination, reduces disk deterioration and protects joints, guards against Parkinson's, improves erectile performance, protects the liver, protects the pancreas, and helps regulate cell health while protecting against adverse cell changes.
This is a rather impressive array of science-backed support for any one nutrient. Maybe the anti-aging promise is real. The explosion of scientific interest in the compound ensures that you will be hearing a lot more about it in the very near future.
Common doses of resveratrol that show benefit and safety in animal studies range from 2.5 mg to 10 mg per kilogram. This translates to an approximate dose range of 150 mg 700 mg per day for a 150 pound adult, a sensible and safe dose range until more data is in.
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About the author: Byron J. Richards, Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist, nationally-renowned nutrition expert, and founder of Wellness Resources is a leader in advocating the value of dietary supplements as a vital tool to maintain health. He is an outspoken critic of government and Big Pharma efforts to deny access to natural health products and has written extensively on the life-shortening and health-damaging failures of the sickness industry. www.wellnessresources.com askbyron@wellnessresources.com
