Resveratrol: Will it prolong life by fighting off disease?

Compound found in red wine looks promising.

Scientists have long known that red wine has its benefits. But a molecular compound found in the wine could prove to be one of the greatest breakthroughs in the fight against aging.

The compound, known as resveratrol, is found in on grape skins, red berries and peanuts. Scientists are hoping that this molecule may one day become the drug that prolongs life by staving off diseases.

Their optimism is backed by promising research in mice and other organisms.

Researchers discovered that resveratrol slows age-related disease and decline in mice. In one study, the mice were fed a standard western high-fat diet, and some of them were given high doses of purified resveratrol. The mice treated with the resveratrol put on the weight but didn’t develop the diseases associated with a fatty diet.

The mice given the resveratrol showed better cardio-vascular improvement, had better balance and motor control and better bone health than the untreated mice. They also had fewer problems with cataracts.

But in spite of the promising findings in the rodents, the jury is still out on what kind of affect resveratrol might have on humans. “We do have a large volume of experience of things that work very well on mice, but don’t translate well to humans,” says Dr. Felipe Sierra, Director of the Division of Aging Biology at the National Institute of Aging.

Research findings on monkeys and humans are forthcoming.

There are no known toxic effects of resveratrol, but Sierra cautions that you can’t just drink red wine and hope to get some of the benefits. The doses given to the mice were the equivalent of drinking 300 bottles of wine every day.

Companies are already selling resveratrol in pill form and consumers are snatching it up after it was touted by Dr. Mehmet Oz on The Oprah Winfrey Show and after 60 minutes featured a piece on its potential benefits earlier this year.

The buyer should beware, however, because there have been a number of consumer complaints about companies selling resveratrol. Forbes magazine reported that a number of shady businesses selling resveratrol supplements were hawking the drug using Web sites with Dr. Oz’s image.

The Forbes story said one company selling the supplements online has drawn a number of angry complaints from consumers. The consumers’ credit cards were billed every month for $85.26, even though they thought they only ordered a 30-day free supply of the pills.

Oprah threatened legal action against companies after reports surfaced about scams that used either her name or Dr. Oz’s to sell their products. “Neither Oprah nor Dr. Oz are associated with nor do they endorse any specific resveratrol product, company or online solicitation of such products,” a statement on Oprah’s Web site says.

Only time and more research will tell whether resveratrol will actually fight off age-related disease in humans. But one way or another, scientists are going to pour maximum resources into finding out as much about the compound as they can, along with anything else that holds the promise of fighting off disease later in life.

“At the end you’re going to be sick no matter what,” Dr. Sierra says. “But if we can postpone that, and you stay healthy longer, that is our goal.”

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Top Resveratrol Products

1. Pure RezV

This product is, hands down, the best Resveratrol product that we have tested. It was recommended by Dr Oz on Oprah during his segment on Anti Aging. This product was the most effective one we have tested mostly due to the fact that it contains acai extract which means its effects are doubled.

All of the people who tested the product reported a lift in their overall energy levels only 3 days after they started taking it. Everyone also report their appetit has decreased and they were eating less and after only 7 days everyone lost a large amount of weight. As you can see these are the desired results and they met & exceeded our expectations.

2. Youth ResV Pro

A close second! Resveratrol Youth ResV was featured on Oprah and Rachel Ray, it offers the same benefits Pure RezV offers (due to the lack of acai extract) and it comes in the same easy to swallow pill form.

We did not feel the effects of the product as quickly as we did with Pure RezV. Everyone noticed some results only after 2 weeks and our energy levels increased after 5 days.