How Good is Resveratrol for Antiaging?

by SKM
( London, UK)

I have heard a lot about Resveratrol and its benefits and how it can be useful to fight diseases and act as an anti aging supplement.

I would like to know how it is in reality. Are there any real life references available that have experienced its good effects?

What is so special is Resveratrol that can provide so much protection?

Is there any dosage guidance? Which are the useful Resveratrol supplements available in the market?

Also I know that red wine contains Resveratrol. Can I take a glass or two of red wine daily to get Resveratrol and live a long life?

Are there any side effects with red wine? Are there any side effects with Resveratrol itself?

If it is such a marvelous drug, why it is not sold like hot cakes?

Answer:


Resveritrol is an interesting substance. It is a special kind of antioixidant called a polyphenol. It has anticancer properties and induces something called apoptosis in cancer cells which makes them self destruct.

Resveratrol affects a gene that has been shown in fruit flies to extend lifespan by 70%. Researchers believe this can also be applied to humans as well!


Researchers at Harvard Medical School and BIOMOL Research Laboratories have demonstrated that Resveratrol activates a gene in yeast that extends life span by 70%.

Resveratrol activates one of the same (SIR) genes as calorie restriction. Even though this research has been done on yeast, fruit flies, and worms, humans have a very similar gene and it would appear logical that Resveratrol would affect that gene in humans too.

In studies conducted by BioMarker Pharmaceuticals, these antiaging genetic expression changes occurred at the human equivalent of 20mg of Resveratrol a day.

Since Resveratrol comes in varying dosages from 20mg to 100 mg a capsule. An effective dose would be very moderate and affordable for most people to use.

There are a number of brands that I believe are of good quality. For capsules I would choose Life Extension, Jarrow, Twinlab or ReserveAge Organics.

Market America’s Isotonix Resveratrol product has superior absorption in the body due to it’s Istotonic form.

Experts tend to suggest that Resveratrol supplements are safer and more effective than drinking red wine, as alcohol is a toxin, and red wine does not contain very high levels of Resveratrol. Some studies have suggested that in order to get the dosage of Resveratrol in one 20mg capsule, you would have to drink over 40 glasses of red wine.

Resveratrol does not have any known side effects at the dosages mentioned, unless you consider a longer healthier life to be a side effect.

As for your question about why it is not selling like hotcakes. Well, first of all Resveratrol is not a drug, it is classified as a nutritional supplement. It cannot be marketed like a drug, and companies cannot make claims that it treats or prevents disease.

However as a supplement it IS becoming more and more popular as people find out about its many benefits. Based on what we know so far, it is one of the most effective antiaging substances there is, because studies have shown it can actually mimic the effects of calorie restricted diets, which have been scientifically proven to extend lifespan in laboratory animals.

Here are some references to the scientific literature on Resveratrol:

Tadolini, B. et al. Resveratrol inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Free Radic. Res. 2000;33:105-14.

Zbikowska, H.M. et al. Antioxidants with carcinostatic activity (resveratrol, vitamin E and selenium) in modulation of blood platelet adhesion. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 2000;51:513-20.

Burkitt, M.J. et al. Effects of trans-Resveratrol on copper-dependent hydroxyl-radical formation and DNA damage: evidence for hydroxyl-radical scavenging and a novel, glutathione-sparing mechanism of action. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 2000;381:253-63.