Jun
What is Resveratrol? It’s a natural drug with the potential to fight three major types of disease currently ravaging the minds and bodies of modern man, namely cancer, Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease. Resveratrol extract is a type of plant antibiotic (phytoalexin), which is produced when plants are under attack from bacteria or fungi. It was first isolated from hellebore roots in 1940, but it wasn’t until 1992 that it was tied to the positive effects of cancer reduction and cardiovascular health commonly associated with red wine.
Resveratrol is naturally found in the skins of red grapes, a fact which has lead some scientists and wine lovers to believe that drinking wine may help fight cancer and increase overall health. Several studies support the theory that moderate consumption of wine cuts death rates by up to 40% per year. Whether this is purely due to the function of Resveratrol is in doubt however, as some scientists claim that drinking wine alone does not provide the human body with sufficient Resveratrol supplement for there to be significant positive effect.
It should be noted that thus far, Resveratrol’s effects have been successfully tested only on rodents and cell cultures. In tests on rodents, Resveratrol supplements has acted as an anti cancer agent, lowered blood sugar, increased cardiovascular function, removed brain plaque and lengthened overall life span due to the fact that its chemical structure activates what has been dubbed a ‘longevity’ gene.
Resveratrol’s chemical structure has a profound affect on genes. It can affect whether or not certain genes are switched on or off through a process called descetylation. In rodents it also inhibits the production of so called DNA debris (useless cellular material which is produced by multiple errors in cell replication) by up to 60%. This has a huge effect on the longevity of the test subject.
