Category Archives: Resveratrol

The health effects of wine are mainly determined by its active ingredient alcohol.[1][2] Some studies found that drinking small quantities of alcohol (up to one standard drink per day for women and one to two drinks per day for men) is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome and early death.[2][3] However, other studies found no such effect.[4]

Drinking more than the standard drink amount increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, stroke[3] and cancer.[5] Mixed results are also observed in light drinking and cancer mortality.[5][6][7][8]

Risk is greater in younger people due to binge drinking which may result in violence or accidents.[3] About 88,000 deaths in the US are estimated to be due to alcohol each year.[9] Alcoholism reduces a person's life expectancy by around ten years[10] and excessive alcohol use is the third leading cause of early death in the United States.[3] According to systematic reviews and medical associations, people who are nondrinkers should not start drinking wine.[3][7][11]

Wine has a long history of use as an early form of medication, being recommended variously as a safe alternative to drinking water, an antiseptic for treating wounds, a digestive aid, and as a cure for a wide range of ailments including lethargy, diarrhea and pain from child birth.[12] Ancient Egyptian papyri and Sumerian tablets dating back to 2200 BC detail the medicinal role of wine, making it the world's oldest documented human-made medicine.[13]:433 Wine continued to play a major role in medicine until the late 19th and early 20th century, when changing opinions and medical research on alcohol and alcoholism cast doubt on its role as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Nearly all research into the positive medical benefits of wine consumption makes a distinction between moderate consumption and heavy or binge drinking.[3] Moderate levels of consumption vary by the individual according to age, gender, genetics, weight and body stature, as well as situational conditions, such as food consumption or use of drugs.[3] In general, women absorb alcohol more quickly than men due to their lower body water content, so their moderate levels of consumption may be lower than those for a male of equal age.[13]:3412 Some experts define "moderate consumption" as less than one 5-US-fluid-ounce (150ml) glass of wine per day for women and two glasses per day for men.[3][14]

The view of consuming wine in moderation has a history recorded as early as the Greek poet Eubulus (360 BC) who believed that three bowls (kylix) were the ideal amount of wine to consume. The number of three bowls for moderation is a common theme throughout Greek writing; today the standard 750 ml wine bottle contains roughly the volume of three kylix cups (250ml or 8floz each).[15] However, the kylix cups would have contained a diluted wine, at a 1:2 or 1:3 dilution with water. In his circa 375 BC play Semele or Dionysus, Eubulus has Dionysus say:

Heavy alcohol consumption has been shown to have a damaging effect on the cellular processes that create bone tissue, and long-term alcoholic consumption at high levels increases the frequency of fractures.[17] Epidemiological studies (studies done by interviewing subjects and studying their health records) have found a positive association between moderate alcohol consumption and increased bone mineral density (BMD). Most of this research has been conducted with postmenopausal women, but one study in men concluded that moderate consumption of alcohol may also be beneficial to BMD in men.[18]

The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization has classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen.[19]

Studies have shown that heavy drinkers put themselves at greater risk for heart disease and developing potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause higher blood pressure, increase cholesterol levels and weakened heart muscles. Studies have shown that moderate wine drinking can improve the balance of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol), which has been theorized as to clean up or remove LDL from blocking arteries.[20] The main cause of heart attacks and the pain of angina is the lack of oxygen caused by blood clots and atheromatous plaque build up in the arteries. The alcohol in wine has anticoagulant properties that limits blood clotting by making the platelets in the blood less prone to stick together and reducing the levels of fibrin protein that binds them together.[21]

Professional cardiology associations recommend that people who are currently nondrinkers should not start drinking alcohol.[11]

One of the short-term effects of alcohol is impaired mental function, which can cause behavioral changes and memory impairment. Long-term effects of heavy drinking can inhibit new brain cell development and increase the risk for developing major depressive disorders. Studies have linked moderate alcohol consumption to lower risk of developing Alzheimer's and dementia though wine's role in this link is not yet fully understood.[13]:3412 A 2009 study by Wake Forest University School of Medicine suggest that moderate alcohol consumption may help healthy adults ward off the risks of developing dementia but can accelerate declining memory for those already suffering from cognitive impairment. The reason for the potential positive benefit of moderate consumption is not yet identified and may even be unrelated to the alcohol but rather other shared lifestyle factors of moderate drinkers (such as exercise or diets). If it is the moderate consumption, researchers theorize that it may be alcohol's role in promoting the production of "good cholesterol" which prevents blood platelets from sticking together. Another potential role of alcohol in the body may be in stimulating the release of the chemical acetylcholine which influences brain function and memory.[22]

Research has shown that moderate levels of alcohol consumed with meals does not have a substantial impact on blood sugar levels. A 2005 study presented to the American Diabetes Association suggest that moderate consumption may lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.[13]:3412[23]

The anti-bacterial nature of alcohol has long been associated with soothing stomach irritations and ailments like traveler's diarrhea where it was a preferred treatment to the less palatable bismuth treatments. The risk of infection from the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, strongly associated with causing gastritis and peptic ulcers as well as being closely linked to stomach cancer, appears to lessen with moderate alcohol consumption.[13]:3412 A German study conducted in the late 1990s showed that non-drinkers had slightly higher infection rates of Helicobacter pylori than moderate wine and beer drinkers.[24]

Wine's positive effects on the metabolism of cholesterol has been suggested as a link to lower occurrences of gallstones among moderate drinkers since cholesterol is a major component of gallstones.[13]:3412

There are several potential causes of so-called "red wine headaches", including histamines/tyramines and the breakdown of some phenolic compounds in wine that carry the chemical messenger for serotonin.[13]:3412 One culprit that is regularly dismissed by allergists as an unlikely cause of red wine headaches is sulfites which are used as a preservative in wine.[25] Wine, like other alcoholic beverages, is a diuretic which promotes dehydration that can lead to headaches (such as the case often experienced with hangovers).[12] In 2006, researchers from the University of California, Davis announced finding from genetic mapping that amino acids in wine that have been slightly modified by the fermentation process may be the cause of wine-related headaches. The research suggest changes in fermentation techniques may help alleviate the risk for wine drinkers sensitive to these amino acids.[26]

Compared to many beers and non-diet sodas, a serving of wine has a moderate amount of calories. A standard 5 fl oz (150ml) serving of red wine (based on an average alcohol content of 13%) contains approximately 106 calories and 2.51g of carbohydrates. A similar serving of white wine contains approximately 100 calories and 1.18g of carbohydrates.[27]

Danish epidemiological studies suggest that a number of psychological health benefits are associated with drinking wine. In a study testing this idea, Mortensen et al. (2001) measured socioeconomic status, education, IQ, personality, psychiatric symptoms, and health related behaviors, which included alcohol consumption. The analysis was then broken down into groups of those who drank beer, those who drank wine, and then those who did and did not drink at all. The results showed that for both men and women drinking wine was related to higher parental social status, parental education and the social status of the subjects. When the subjects were given an IQ test, wine drinkers consistently scored higher IQs than their counterpart beer drinkers. The average difference of IQ between wine and beer drinkers was 18 points. In regards to psychological functioning, personality, and other health-related behaviors, the study found wine drinkers to operate at optimal levels while beer drinkers performed below optimal levels. As these social and psychological factors also correlate with health outcomes, they represent a plausible explanation for at least some of the apparent health benefits of wine.[28]

In 2008, researchers from Kingston University in London discovered red wine[29] to contain high levels of toxic metals relative to other beverages in the sample. Although the metal ions, which included chromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, vanadium and zinc, were also present in other plant-based beverages, the sample wine tested significantly higher for all metal ions, especially vanadium.[30] Risk assessment was calculated using "target hazard quotients" (THQ), a method of quantifying health concerns associated with lifetime exposure to chemical pollutants. Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency in the US and used mainly to examine seafood, a THQ of less than 1 represents no concern while, for example, mercury levels in fish calculated to have THQs of between 1 and 5 would represent cause for concern.[31]

The researchers stressed that a single glass of wine would not lead to metal poisoning, pointing out that their THQ calculations were based on the average person drinking one-third of a bottle of wine (250ml) every day between the ages of 18 and 80. However the "combined THQ values" for metal ions in the red wine they analyzed were reported to be as high as 125.[30] A subsequent study by the same university using a meta analysis of data based on wine samples from a selection of mostly European countries found equally high levels of vanadium in many red wines, showing combined THQ values in the range of 50 to 200, with some as high as 350.[32]

The findings sparked immediate controversy due to several issues: the study's reliance on secondary data; the assumption that all wines contributing to that data were representative of the countries stated; and the grouping together of poorly understood high-concentration ions, such as vanadium, with relatively low-level, common ions such as copper and manganese. Some publications pointed out that the lack of identifiable wines and grape varieties, specific producers or even wine regions, provided only misleading generalizations that should not be relied upon in choosing wines.[33][34]

In a news bulletin following the widespread reporting of the findings, the UK's National Health Service (NHS) were also concerned that "the way the researchers added together hazards from different metals to produce a final score for individual wines may not be particularly meaningful".[34] Commentators in the US questioned the relevance of seafood-based THQ assessments to agricultural produce, with the TTB, responsible for testing imports for metal ion contamination, have not detected an increased risk. George Solas, quality assessor for the Canadian Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) claimed that the levels of heavy metal contamination reported were within the permitted levels for drinking water in tested reservoirs.[33]

Whereas the NHS also described calls for improved wine labeling as an "extreme response" to research which provided "few solid answers", they acknowledged the authors call for further research to investigate wine production, including the influence that grape variety, soil type, geographical region, insecticides, containment vessels and seasonal variations may have on metal ion uptake.[34]

Although red wine contains many chemicals under basic research for their potential health benefits, resveratrol has been particularly well studied and evaluated by regulatory authorities, such as the European Food Safety Authority and US Food and Drug Administration which identified it and other such phenolic compounds as not sufficiently understood to confirm their role as physiological antioxidants.[35][36]

Cinnamates have been shown to have more antioxidant activity when exposed in vitro to the Fenton reaction (catalytic Fe(II) with hydrogen peroxide) than the other natural phenols present in wine.[37]

Research on potential health effects of resveratrol is in its infancy and the long-term effects of supplementation in humans are not known.[35][38][39]

Resveratrol is a stilbenoid phenolic compound found in wine produced in the grape skins and leaves of grape vines. It has received considerable attention in both the media and medical research community for its potential health benefits[13]:569 which remain unproven in humans.[40][36]

The production and concentration of resveratrol is not equal among all the varieties of wine grapes. Differences in clones, rootstock, Vitis species as well as climate conditions can affect the production of resveratrol. Also, because resveratrol is part of the defence mechanism in grapevines against attack by fungi or grape disease, the degree of exposure to fungal infection and grape diseases also appear to play a role. The Muscadinia family of vines, which has adapted over time through exposure to North American grape diseases such as phylloxera, has some of the highest concentrations of resveratrol among wine grapes. Among the European Vitis vinifera, grapes derived from the Burgundian Pinot family tend to have substantially higher amounts of resveratrol than grapes derived from the Cabernet family of Bordeaux. Wine regions with cooler, wetter climates that are more prone to grape disease and fungal attacks such as Oregon and New York tend to produce grapes with higher concentrations of resveratrol than warmer, dry climates like California and Australia.[13]:569

Although red wine and white vine varieties produce similar amounts of resveratrol, red wine contains more than white, since red wines are produced by maceration (soaking the grape skins in the mash). Other winemaking techniques, such as the use of certain strains of yeast during fermentation or lactic acid bacteria during malolactic fermentation, can have an influence on the amount of resveratrol left in the resulting wines. Similarly the use of certain fining agents during the clarification and stabilization of wine can strip the wine of some resveratrol molecules.[13]:569

The prominence of resveratrol in the news and its association with positive health benefits has encouraged some wineries to highlight it in their marketing. In the early 21st century, the Oregon producer Willamette Valley Vineyards sought approval from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to state on their wine labels the resveratrol levels of their wines which ranged from 19 to 71 micromoles per liter (higher than the average 10 micromoles per liter in most red wines). The TTB gave preliminary approval to the winery, making it the first to use such information on its labels.[12] While resveratrol is the most widely publicized, there are other phenolic components in wine that have been the focus of medical research for potential health benefits, including the compounds catechin and quercetin,[13]:569 none of which has been proven to have any health value in humans.[35][36]

Red grapes are high in anthocyanins which are the source of the color of various fruits, such as red grapes. The darker the red wine, the more anthocyanins present.[41][original research?]

Following dietary ingestion, anthocyanins undergo rapid and extensive metabolism that makes the biological effects presumed from in vitro studies unlikely to apply in vivo.[36][42]

Although anthocyanins are under basic and early-stage clinical research for a variety of disease conditions, there exists no sufficient evidence that they have any beneficial effect in the human body.[36] The US FDA has issued warning letters, e.g.,[43] to emphasize that anthocyanins are not a defined nutrient, cannot be assigned a dietary content level and are not regulated as a drug to treat any human disease.[36]

Early medicine was intimately tied with religion and the supernatural, with early practitioners often being priests and magicians. Wine's close association with ritual made it a logical tool for these early medical practices. Tablets from Sumeria and papyri from Egypt dating to 2200 BC include recipes for wine based medicines, making wine the oldest documented human-made medicine.[13]:433

When the Greeks introduced a more systematized approach to medicine, wine retained its prominent role. The Greek physician Hippocrates considered wine a part of a healthy diet, and advocated its use as a disinfectant for wounds, as well as a medium in which to mix other drugs for consumption by the patient. He also prescribed wine as a cure for various ailments ranging from diarrhea and lethargy to pain during childbirth.[13]:433

The medical practices of the Romans involved the use of wine in a similar manner. In his 1st-century work De Medicina, the Roman encyclopedist Aulus Cornelius Celsus detailed a long list of Greek and Roman wines used for medicinal purposes. While treating gladiators in Asia Minor, the Roman physician Galen would use wine as a disinfectant for all types of wounds, and even soaked exposed bowels before returning them to the body. During his four years with the gladiators, only five deaths occurred, compared to sixty deaths under the watch of the physician before him.[44]

Religion still played a significant role in promoting wine's use for health. The Jewish Talmud noted wine to be "the foremost of all medicines: wherever wine is lacking, medicines become necessary." In his first epistle to Timothy, Paul the Apostle recommended that his young colleague drink a little wine every now and then for the benefit of his stomach and digestion. While the Islamic Koran contained restrictions on all alcohol, Islamic doctors such as the Persian Avicenna in the 11th century AD noted that wine was an efficient digestive aid but, because of the laws, were limited to use as a disinfectant while dressing wounds. Catholic monasteries during the Middle Ages also regularly used wine for medical treatments.[13]:433 So closely tied was the role of wine and medicine, that the first printed book on wine was written in the 14th century by a physician, Arnaldus de Villa Nova, with lengthy essays on wine's suitability for treatment of a variety of medical ailments such dementia and sinus problems.[45]

The lack of safe drinking water may have been one reason for wine's popularity in medicine. Wine was still being used to sterilize water as late as the Hamburg cholera epidemic of 1892 in order to control the spread of the disease. However, the late 19th century and early 20th century ushered in a period of changing views on the role of alcohol and, by extension, wine in health and society. The Temperance movement began to gain steam by touting the ills of alcoholism, which was eventually defined by the medical establishment as a disease. Studies of the long- and short-term effects of alcohol caused many in the medical community to reconsider the role of wine in medicine and diet.[13]:433 Soon, public opinion turned against consumption of alcohol in any form, leading to Prohibition in the United States and other countries. In some areas, wine was able to maintain a limited role, such as an exemption from Prohibition in the United States for "therapeutic wines" that were sold legally in drug stores. These wines were marketed for their supposed medicinal benefits, but some wineries used this measure as a loophole to sell large quantities of wine for recreational consumption. In response, the United States government issued a mandate requiring producers to include an emetic additive that would induce vomiting above the consumption of a certain dosage level.[12]

Throughout the mid to early 20th century, health advocates pointed to the risk of alcohol consumption and the role it played in a variety of ailments such as blood disorders, high blood pressure, cancer, infertility, liver damage, muscle atrophy, psoriasis, skin infections, strokes, and long-term brain damage. Studies showed a connection between alcohol consumption among pregnant mothers and an increased risk of mental retardation and physical abnormalities in what became known as fetal alcohol syndrome, prompting the use of warning labels on alcohol-containing products in several countries.[13]:3412

The 1990s and early 21st century saw a renewed interest in the health benefits of wine, ushered in by increasing research suggesting that moderate wine drinkers have lower mortality rates than heavy drinkers or teetotalers.[13]:3412 In November 1991, the U.S. news program 60 Minutes aired a broadcast on the so-called "French Paradox". Featuring the research work of Bordeaux scientist Serge Renaud, the broadcast dealt with the seemingly paradoxical relationship between the high fat/high dairy diets of French people and the low occurrence of cardiovascular disease among them. The broadcast drew parallels to the American and British diets which also contained high levels of fat and dairy but which featured high incidences of heart disease. One of the theories proposed by Renaud in the broadcast was that moderate consumption of red wine was a risk-reducing factor for the French and that wine could have more positive health benefits yet to be studied.[46] Following the 60 Minutes broadcast, sales of red wine in the United States jumped 44% over previous years.[47]

This changing view of wine can be seen in the evolution of the language used in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dietary Guidelines. The 1990 edition of the guidelines contained the blanket statement that "wine has no net health benefit". By 1995, the wording had been changed to allow moderate consumption with meals providing the individual had no other alcohol-related health risk.[26] From a research perspective, scientists began differentiating alcohol consumption among the various classes of beverages wine, beer, and spirits. This distinction allowed studies to highlight the positive medical benefits of wine apart from the mere presence of alcohol. However wine drinkers tend to share similar lifestyle habits better diets, regular exercise, non-smoking that may in themselves be a factor in the supposed positive health benefits compared to drinkers of beer and spirits or those who abstain completely.[48]

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Health effects of wine - Wikipedia

Resveratrol is a plant compound, also known as polyphenol, which helps protect the plant when injured, and to fight off bacteria and fungi. The best food sources of this compound are the skin of grapes, berries, and peanuts. In fact, red wine has become popularized as 'healthy' because of the resveratrol it contains; however, compared to the unhealthy amounts of alcohol, the amount of resveratrol it contains is minimal.

Fig 1. Resveratrol

History

The first time, resveratrol was discovered by the Japanese, when they isolated this compound from plant roots in 1940's. However, it wasn't until 1992 that it became popular, when its presence in wine was suggested as a plausible explanation for its heart protective effects. As a result, in the past decade many fitness supplements have added this compound as a performance enhancing ingredient.

How it Works

The mechanisms of action of resveratrol are not fully understood, but it appears to mimic biochemical effects of calorie restriction. As a matter of fact, studies have shown that it activates Sirtuin 1, PGC-1a, and it improves the mitochondria's functionality.

Bodybuilding

When a bodybuilder comes off cycle, their Luteinizing hormone (LH) is suppressed and their testosterone drops as the hormone esters leave the body, allowing estrogen to fluctuate wildly up or down. Even with a comprehensive post cycle therapy (PCT), the steroid user is left exposed in between cycles to catabolism and estrogen rebounds. We call this dangerous period 'bridging'.

During a 'bridge' gains can be difficult, as the body is trying to balance itself out. Therefore, resveratrol's ability to raise testosterone levels, without suppressing LH, makes it a perfect compound to run during this period. In fact, a Korean study showed that after 28 days on resveratrol, subjects' testosterone levels increased by up to 50%.

In addition, resveratrol's benefits come into play during a bridge because it is one of the few natural compounds in existence that can boast being both a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) and an aromatase inhibitor (AI). As a result, you get a bump in LH, testosterone, and it lowers estrogen.

Moreover, its anti-oxidant properties and organ protecting benefits will help cleanse out the body further, so the steroid user can recover fully before their next steroid cycle.

There is one property of resveratrol that deserves special attention and offers even more benefits for all athletes, whether they use steroids or not. A Canadian study showed that resveratrol improved endurance by an average of 21%.

Other Benefits

There has been extensive research on resveratrol that showed numerous additional benefits.

Side Effects

Clinical studies have shown no issues when resveratrol is used for long periods of time. However, as with any supplement, you should never abuse it.

Dosage

Try to eat more grapes, berries and natural peanut butter. Then add 25-50 milligrams (mgs) a day of resveratrol from supplementation.

Where to find it

As mentioned above, it would take a large amount of wine, or other foods, to get the benefits you want from resveratrol. Therefore, the best way to take advantage of this compound is through supplementation.

One supplement, that is designed specifically for athletes and for bodybuilders in between cycles is called BRIDGE by N2BM.com. It contains 25mgs per serving of resveratrol and 9 other ingredients, all designed to help you 'bridge' from one cycle to the other.

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Resveratrol - Evolutionary.org

If you've heard that red wine can help lower cholesterol, chances are you've heard of resveratrol the much-hyped plant compound found in red wine.

But beyond being a healthful part of red wine and other foods, resveratrol has health-boosting potential in its own right.

In fact, resveratrol supplements have been linked to many exciting health benefits, including protecting brain function and lowering blood pressure (1, 2, 3, 4).

This article explains what you need to know about resveratrol, including seven of its main potential health benefits.

Resveratrol is a plant compound that acts like an antioxidant. The top food sources include red wine, grapes, some berries and peanuts (5, 6).

This compound tends to be concentrated mostly in the skins and seeds of grapes and berries. These parts of the grape are included in the fermentation of red wine, hence its particularly high concentration of resveratrol (5, 7).

However, much of the research on resveratrol has been done in animals and test tubes using high amounts of the compound (5, 8).

Of the limited research in humans, most has focused on supplemental forms of the compound, in concentrations higher than those you could get through food (5).

Because of its antioxidant properties, resveratrol could be a promising supplement for lowering blood pressure (9).

A 2015 review concluded that high doses may help reduce the pressure exerted on artery walls when the heart beats (3).

That type of pressure is called systolic blood pressure, and appears as the upper number in blood pressure readings.

Systolic blood pressure typically goes up with age, as arteries stiffen. When high, it's a risk factor for heart disease.

Resveratrol may accomplish this blood-pressure-lowering effect by helping to produce more nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to relax (10, 11).

However, the authors of that study say more research is needed before specific recommendations can be made about the best dose of resveratrol to maximize blood pressure benefits.

Several studies in animals have suggested that resveratrol supplements may change blood fats in a healthy way (12, 13).

A 2016 study fed mice a high-protein, high-polyunsaturated fat diet and also gave them resveratrol supplements.

Researchers found the average total cholesterol levels and body weight of the mice decreased, and their levels of "good" HDL cholesterol increased (13).

Resveratrol seems to influence cholesterol levels by reducing the effect of an enzyme that controls cholesterol production (13).

As an antioxidant, it also may decrease the oxidation of "bad" LDL cholesterol. LDL oxidation contributes to plaque buildup in artery walls (9, 14).

In one study, participants were given grape extract that had been boosted with extra resveratrol.

After six months of treatment, their LDL had gone down by 4.5% and their oxidized LDL had gone down by 20% compared to participants who took an unenriched grape extract or a placebo (15).

The compound's ability to extend lifespan in different organisms has become a major area of research (16).

There's evidence that resveratrol activates certain genes that ward off the diseases of aging (17).

It works to achieve this in the same way as calorie restriction, which has shown promise in lengthening lifespans by changing how genes express themselves (18, 19).

However, it's not clear if the compound would have a similar effect in humans.

A review of studies exploring this connection found that resveratrol increased lifespan in 60% of the organisms studied, but the effect was strongest in organisms that were less related to humans, such as worms and fish (20).

Several studies have suggested that drinking red wine can help slow down age-related cognitive decline (21, 22, 23, 24).

This may partly be due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of resveratrol.

It seems to interfere with protein fragments called beta-amyloids, which are crucial to forming the plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (21, 25).

Additionally, the compound may set off a chain of events that protects brain cells from damage (21).

While this research is intriguing, scientists still have questions about how well the human body is able to make use of supplemental resveratrol, which limits its immediate use as a supplement to protect the brain (1, 2).

Resveratrol has been shown to have several benefits for diabetes, at least in animal studies.

These benefits include increasing insulin sensitivity and preventing complications from diabetes (26, 27, 28, 29).

One explanation for how resveratrol works is that it may stop a certain enzyme from turning glucose into sorbitol, a sugar alcohol.

When too much sorbitol builds up in people with diabetes, it can create cell-damaging oxidative stress (30, 31).

Here are a few more benefits resveratrol may have for people with diabetes (28):

Resveratrol may even provide more benefits for people with diabetes than those who don't have it. In one animal study, red wine and resveratrol were actually more effective antioxidants in rats with diabetes than in rats who didn't have it (32).

Researchers say the compound could be used to treat diabetes and its complications in the future, but more research is needed.

Arthritis is a common affliction that leads to joint pain and loss of mobility (33).

Plant-based supplements are being studied as a way to treat and prevent joint pain. When taken as a supplement, resveratrol may help protect cartilage from deteriorating (33, 34).

Cartilage breakdown can cause joint pain and is one of the main symptoms of arthritis (33).

One study injected resveratrol into the knee joints of rabbits with arthritis and found that these rabbits suffered less damage to their cartilage (34).

Other research in test tubes and animals has suggested that the compound has potential to reduce inflammation and prevent damage to joints (33, 35, 36, 37).

Resveratrol has been studied, especially in test tubes, for its ability to prevent and treat cancer. However, results have been mixed (30, 38, 39).

In animal and test-tube studies, it has been shown to fight several kinds of cancer cells, including gastric, colon, skin, breast and prostate (40, 41, 42, 43, 44).

Here's how resveratrol may combat cancer cells:

However, since the studies so far have been carried out in test tubes and animals, much more research is needed to see if and how this compound might be used for human cancer therapy.

No major risks have been revealed in studies that have used resveratrol supplements. Healthy people seem to tolerate them well (47).

However, it should be noted that there aren't enough conclusive recommendations about how much resveratrol a person should take in order to get health benefits.

And there are some cautions, especially regarding how resveratrol could interact with other medications.

Since high doses have been shown to stop blood from clotting in test tubes, it's possible it could increase bleeding or bruising when taken with anti-clotting drugs, such as heparin or warfarin, or some pain relievers (48, 49).

Resveratrol also blocks some enzymes that help clear certain compounds from the body. That means some medications could build up to unsafe levels. These include certain blood pressure medications, anxiety meds and immunosuppressants (50).

If you currently use medications, then you may want to check with a doctor before trying resveratrol.

Lastly, it's widely debated how much resveratrol the body can actually use from supplements and other sources (51).

However, researchers are studying ways of making resveratrol easier for the body to use (6, 52).

Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant with great potential.

It's shown promise regarding a variety of health conditions, including heart disease and arthritis. However, clear dosage guidance is still lacking.

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7 Health Benefits of Resveratrol Supplements

What Is Resveratrol?

If youve ever heard about the potential health benefits of drinking red wine, then youve heard about the potential benefits of Resveratrol.

Resveratrol is a compound found in plants, notably the skin of red grapes, that helps to protect the plant and fight off bacteria, viruses, fungi, as well as withstand drought or lack of nutrients.

Its basically the protector molecule of grapes and berries.

It is widely acknowledged for its vast antioxidant properties which have been suggested to help with everything from protecting your heart, helping you live longer, lowering estrogen levels and more.

What Does Resveratrol Actually Do?

Most of the beneficial properties that have been suggested of Resveratrol supplementation come from the fact that it is a potent antioxidant.

In your body, oxidants, also known as free radicals, can gradually build up and cause all sorts of harm. They are basically micro toxins floating around your body. If too many of them build up in a particular part of your body, such as your brain or liver, they may cause a lot of problems.

Antioxidants are nutrients that fight free radicals floating around your body, removing these free radicles is what helps your body out the most.

Similarly to the supplement GSE, resveratrol supplementation has been linked with the potential lowering of systolic blood pressure.

Systolic blood pressure is the pressure that is caused when the heart beats. Resveratrol is thought of to act as a vasodilator, helping to open up the blood vessels and reduce the amount of pressure exerted on the artery walls when the heart beats.

Also like GSE, resveratrol has been thought of to help lower blood cholesterol levels. This is accomplished through its antioxidant properties potentially decreasing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in the body.

In studies regarding non-humans, resveratrol has been seen to help increase insulin sensitivity which may help to ward of the harmful effects of diabetes.

As a powerful antioxidant it is also linked with various anti-inflammatory effects throughout the entire body, potentially helping to support an increased lifespan.

Resveratol has also been used in various studies to help act as an aromatase inhibitor, primarily to reduce the amount of estrogen produced by the armotase enzyme in people who are dealing with breast cancer. It is thought of to help limit the amount of estrogenic production in the body.

What Are The Potential Benefits Of Resveratrol?

How To Use Resveratrol?

Typical daily doses of Resveratrol as a dietary supplement range from 150 mg 500 mg per day.

What Are The Side Effects Of Resveratrol?

Resveratrol has been noted to be very safe for humans to use and consume from dosages ranging from 100 mg up to 5g per day.

It is generally regarded as a very safe and nontoxic supplement to take.

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Resveratrol: The Healing Molecule In Red Wine - Red Supplements

After some debate, Harvard Medical School researchers are saying they have confirmed that compound resveratrol that's found in red wine does provide anti-aging benefits.

The study, which was published on March 8 in Science, shows that resveratrol stimulates production of SIRT1, a serum that blocks diseases by speeding up the cell's energy production centers known as mitrochondria.

Researchers have also figured out which gene allows resveratrol to produce SIRT1, and believe that some drugs currently in clinical trials may be able to provide the same anti-aging benefits as well.

"In the history of pharmaceuticals, there has never been a drug that binds to a protein to make it run faster in the way that resveratrol activates SIRT1," senior author David Sinclair, Harvard Medical School professor of genetics, said in a press release. "Almost all drugs either slow or block them."

Resveratrol is a naturally-occuring polyphenols antioxidant that is found in some plant products like grapes and cocoa. It is categorized as a phytoalexin, an antimicrobial compound that is produced by plants to protect them from rough environments like excessive ultraviolet light, infections and climate changes.

Resveratrol has been linked to protection against obesity and diabetes, a reduced risk for blood clotting and a way to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol, due to the compound's ability to dilate blood vessels, increase nitric oxide and block the stickiness of platelets. However, some research came into question when Dr. Dipak K. Das, director of the cardiovascular research center at the University of Connecticut who led several reseveratrol studies, was accused of making up results in January 2013.

There was also a controversy behind whether SIRT1's production was actually influenced by resveratrol. Earlier studies have used a man-made chemical group which glowed brighter the more SIRT1 activity went up. Without this chemical, the experiments didn't work. Some scientists believed that because of this, it meant that SIRT1's activity was only a laboratory construct and didn't exist in nature.

"We had six years of work telling us that this was most definitely not an artifact," Sinclair, who initially published a study in 2006 linking resveratrol to SIRT1 and longevity in mice using that man-made chemical, said. "Still, we needed to figure out precisely how resveratrol works. The answer was extremely elegant."

To prove that there was a link between resveratrol and SIRT1, scientists discovered that the man-made chemical was actually close to three amino acids that were naturally found in cells, one of which is tryptophan, the chemical thought to make people drowsy after eating turkey. Instead of using the florescent chemical, researchers used a tryptophan residue in a test tube to see if it would create more SIRT1, which it did.

Then, Sinclair and his team looked at 2,000 mutants of the gene responsible for SIRT1 to find out how resveratrol worked, and found one mutation that stopped resveratrol's effects by swapping out one of the 747 amino acid residues.

After they found where this mutation was found on SIRT1-creating gene and how to control it, researchers replaced the normal SIRT1 gene in manufactured muscle and skin cells with the one that stopped resveratrol's effect. They then introduced resveratrol and some other medications in clinical trials. Resveratrol and some of the medications were able to speed up mitrochondria by activating more SIRT1 in normal cells, but the mutated cells were unaffected by the substances.

"This was the killer experiment," said Sinclair. "There is no rational alternative explanation other than resveratrol directly activates SIRT1 in cells. Now that we know the exact location on SIRT1 where and how resveratrol works, we can engineer even better molecules that more precisely and effectively trigger the effects of resveratrol."

It is important to note that Sinclair is a co-founder and scientific advisor of Sirtris, a GlaxoSmithKline company. Sirtris currently has a number of sirtuin (SIRT1)-activating compounds in clinical trials.

Sinclair told the Telegraph in a separate interview that he wants to continue the studies to see if reveratrol can help people who are already really healthy.

"Things there are also looking promising. We're finding that ageing isn't the irreversible affliction that we thought it was," he commented. "Some of us could live to 150, but we won't get there without more research."

Many agree that the information is promising.

"This is not weak evidence at this point," Leonard Guarente, a biologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Sirtris scientific advisory board member, added to the Los Angeles Times."You would really bet the ranch on this one."

"It might bring together the different views so we can move forward," Brian Kennedy, president and chief executive of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, Calif., added in a press release. Kennedy previously questioned the results of studies using resveratrol and yeast. "This is how science works."

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Resveratrol does provide anti-aging benefits, study shows ...

Resveratrol is a compound that occurs naturally in certain foods, including the skin of grapes and red wine. It is also found in grape juice, peanuts, cocoa, and berries such as blueberries and cranberries.

Researchers interest in resveratrol was sparked when studies in the 1990s found health benefits to drinking moderate amounts of red wine, including the possibility of a lower risk of dementia. Ongoing clinical studies into its possible benefits in Alzheimers patients, however, is limited.

Scientists are still trying to understand how resveratrol works in the body, and whether it might help prevent or treat Alzheimers disease.

In some preclinical studies, resveratrol decreased the amount of beta-amyloid protein in cells grown in laboratories and in the brains of mice by promoting thebreakdown of the protein. Beta-amyloid forms the plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimers disease.

Another theory is that resveratrol mimics the effect of restricting calorie intake. A low-calorie diet has been found in animal studies to prevent or delay the onset of age-related diseases, including Alzheimers.A low-calorie diet appears to activate a class of enzymes known as sirtuins, and resveratrol seems to have the same effect.

A Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT01504854), completed in 2014,included 119 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease. Participants took capsules containing placebo or resveratrol, starting with a dose of 500 mg a day and increasing to 1 gram twice a day.

Researchers measured participants blood levels of beta-amyloid-40, a protein that typically decreases in the blood as Alzheimers disease progresses. Patients treated with resveratrol showed little to no change in beta-amyloid-40 blood levels, while a decrease was observed in the placebo group.

An analysis of 19 participants from each of the resveratrol and placebo groups alsoshowed evidence that resveratrol restores the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, whose role is therestricts the movement of molecules and cells between the blood system and the brain.

Patients treated with resveratrol had lower levels in their cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) of a protein that at high levels breaks down blood-brain barrier.

Another clinical trial (NCT01716637), sponsored by the Life Extension Foundation, tested the effect of a multi-ingredient dietary supplement that included resveratrol in about 12 participants with mild to moderate Alzheimers disease. The supplement was administered alone or in addition toEnbrel(etanercept), a medicine used to treat autoimmune disorders, which was injected into tissues close to the spinal column (peri-spinally). The participants scores on cognitive tests were tracked. The Phase 1 pilot study was completed in May 2016 but results had not been reported as of early 2018.

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Resveratrol - Alzheimer's News Today