Resveratrol - A True Anti Aging Antioxidant
July 9, 2008 by 
GiGi)
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This is part of a continuing series on Anti Aging Supplements and comes from our friends at Health and Wellness Smart Publications.
Resveratrol has gotten a lot of press lately, touted as the latest anti aging antioxidant - and rightly so. There continues to be positive findings from research.
Before we get into the latest findings, let’s cover some of the basics first.
What Is Resveratrol?
Resveratrol is a compound found in a variety of plants including cranberries, raspberries, peanuts, pine trees, and grapes. It is particularly concentrated in red wine. It is considered a powerful antioxidant.
What Are Its Benefits?
Quite a few studies have done with it and not all of it is conclusive, but the findings ARE promising. Resveratrol, in addition to anti aging properties, also has been shown to be anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-platelet, cholesterol-lowering and mild estrogenic activities.
A research team recently found that resveratrol improved the health and survival of obese mice. Apparently it mimics calorie restriction also. Calorie restriction has been shown to have some anti aging benefits. It may point the way to a new approach for treating obesity-related disorders and preventing age-related diseases in humans, like cancer, heart disease, and type II diabetes.
It has also been associated with improved cognitive function. With all of those benefits, it’s no wonder they call it the miracle antioxidant!
Do I Need To Take A Supplement?
If you drink plenty of red wine and eat lots of peanut butter, you could get enough resveratrol, but then you’d probably gain weight from all the extra calories. Not to mention the problem with drinking a LOT of red wine. One researcher said it would take over 300 glasses of wine per day to equal the amount of resveratrol fed to the obese mice in the study.
What Should I Look For In A Supplement?
It should be a standardized extract.
Although a minimum daily requirement has not been established, be aware that some companies label their product in micrograms (mcg) rather than milligrams (mg). This can make it look like a larger dose, but it takes 1,000 micrograms to equal 1 milligram.
There are two forms of resveratrol - cis and trans. Trans-resveratrol is commercially available and has been the subject of more research than cis-resveratrol.
What Does Some of the Latest Research Show?
- Red wine promotes nitric oxide production, good for blood flow and cardiovascular disease.
- Red wine consumption lowers homocysteine levels, also important for cardiovascular disease.
- Red wine polyphenols prevent the oxidation of dietary fats in the digestive tract
So, there you have it - 300 glasses of red wine, lots of peanut butter….or:
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Dr. Strauss, who was the first person to run an ORAC evaluation on Acai berries and has found that Acai has the richest Antioxidant of any food in the world.