Research On Resveratrol – Uncovering The Truth About This Polyphenol

Wine – you can have a look around and you will surely realize that no other beverage or drink (alcoholic) or not is as popular as wine. For one thing, it has attracted the eyes of modern medicine because of its benefits NOT only to your heart BUT in fighting off diseases like cancer, dementia, and other illnesses that plague us as we age. In a research in Denmark that took a look at 25000 people in an attempt to find out what drinking alcohol does to one’s mortality, it was discovered that wine enthusiasts were able to cut down the risk of dying from any cause by a whopping 40 percent!

Chemists and experts broke down the components of wine to see what’s really behind the health benefits it brings. In simpler terms, wine is beefed up with different plant compounds. Sadly, back then, resveratrol together with other beneficial components of wine were discarded as toxicants. Nobody paid close attention to resveratrol until someone, a scientist, tried to figure out the mystery behind the French Paradox – why the French people could indulge in foods and dishes that contain high amounts of saturated fat and still have the lowest occurrences of cardiovascular diseases and obesity.

As it turns out, resveratrol is the answer to the mystery. For those of you who don’t know it, resveratrol is bioavailable in certain plants and vines like pine trees, peanuts, grapes, and those are just to name a few. In addition to that, Polygonum cuspidatum (one of the resveratrol carrying plants) is an ingredient in traditional Asian medicines. It is even prescribed to people who are suffering from liver and heart conditions. During the early 90’s, when it was determined that wine was the most likely answer to the French Paradox, many scientists realized that the resveratrol content of wine is the secret ingredient to a healthy heart. The studies and research on resveratrol quickly began, and within just a decade or so, the findings were very positive. Significant antioxidant activity, shows great potential for preventing cardiovascular disease, excellent inhibitor, no toxic effect on cells – these are just some of the benefits of resveratrol that were uncovered.

Research On Resveratrol – Fighting Off Alzheimer’s Disease
Just recently, it was seen that resveratrol contains a mechanism for eliminating free radicals. For those of you who don’t know it, free radicals are responsible for putting your important organs and systems under great stress and eventually cause it to break down. The question is – can resveratrol’s mechanism for eliminating free radicals and help us fight against diseases like Alzheimer’s? While the research and studies concerning this are still in their infancy, they indicate that resveratrol supplements could play an important role in preventing the said disease and helping those who are at risk. You see, the brain, just like the heart, is composed primarily with fatty acids. They need protection against oxidized fat.

For those who are not familiar with Alzheimer’s Disease, patients suffering from it produces an abnormal peptide which is known as beta amyloid in their brains. This piece of protein provokes oxidative stress, eventually killing the cells due to massive amounts of free radicals. Resveratrol, according to research, can protect the brain against oxidative stress and keep the brain cells alive and kicking. Additionally, research have shown that adding antioxidants like Vitamins C and E added to resveratrol can provide greater brain protection than taking these antioxidants by themselves.

Research On Resveratrol –Activating The Longevity Gene
Looking at a widely publicized and very popular report, the researchers and scientists at Harvard Medical School together with the guys at BIOMOL Research Laboratories found out that resveratrol is the key for activating the longevity gene in yeasts that extends its lifespan by a whopping 70 percent. The benefits brought by resveratrol imitates the health benefits you get from a calorie restricted diet, which is the only tried and tested way of lengthening the maximum lifespan. Even if the study was done only in yeast, flies, worms, and other lower organisms, humans do have their own life extending gene. Only more research and studies will reveal if resveratrol has the same effect.