Resveratrol’s blue ribbon status

by Barb Jarmoska
Freshlife Founder

You’ve no doubt heard the term “French Paradox,” a phrase referring to the fact that the French have less heart disease than Americans in spite of the fact that they eat far more high-fat foods. The secret of the paradox may lie in the fact that the rich meals served in France are usually accompanied by wine.

Red wine contains resveratrol, which belongs to a class of compounds known as phytoalexins, chemical substances produced by plants as a defense against pathogenic organisms. There is not a large volume of research to document resveratrol’s impact on human health. However, the sheer volume of laboratory studies suggest that resveratrol could become one of the most versatile and effective plant compounds, offering solutions to many human health problems. Lab studies show:

• Resveratrol’s antioxidant action helps stop free radical damage and open the arteries by enhancing nitric oxide levels.

• Resveratrol helps to reduce the stickiness and clumping of blood cells, known in medical terms as “platelet aggregation.”

• Resveratrol supplements may be particularly helpful for those who have or are at risk for Alzheimer’s. Resveratrol has shown a potential to reduce the formation of an abnormal protein known as beta-amyloid that can provoke oxidative stress and eventually cause the death of brain cells.

• Resveratrol inhibits specific enzymes that change the way individual cells respond to injury, improving the chances that someone taking resveratrol regularly may better withstand a stroke or spinal cord injury.

• Significant research has been done on resveratrol’s impact on cancer cells, and results are promising. This is especially true for pancreas, breast, and renal cancer.

• In a widely publicized report, researchers at Harvard Medical School demonstrated that resveratrol activates a longevity gene in yeast that extends life span by 70%. The effects mimic those of calorie restriction, the only proven way of extending maximum life span in humans. Resveratrol activates one of the same sirtuin genes as calorie restriction. Although the research has not been conducted on humans, we do share the same life span-extending gene.

If you’re considering the use of a broad-based antioxidant with the potential to increase longevity, choose the supplement that has captured the blue ribbon, try resveratrol.