Nature’s Answer to Aging?
Resveratrol may very well hold a molecular key to longer life.

By Kelly Maguire

    Until recently it’s been a scientific mystery why the French, who are known for indulging in fat-laden meals, have such clean bills of heart health. Scientists now suspect that the red wine on French tables—specifically the resveratrol found in that wine—is at least partially responsible for this “French paradox.” In fact, individuals who live in wine-growing districts have been shown to live 25% to 45% longer than the average French citizen.
    Abundant in the skins of red grapes, pomegranates, raspberries and nuts, resveratrol is also found in Polygonum cuspidatum, or Japanese knotweed—an ancient Asian remedy for heart and liver ailments. Created by plants in response to such stressors as pest infestations, resveratrol helps the plant selectively switch on genes that aid in survival. Experts say resveratrol may perform the same function in humans and that it could be a key to postponing the onset of such ailments as heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

Fighting Father Time
    Chemicals in resveratrol are believed to mimic the effect of a very-low-calorie diet by switching on the Sirtuin-1 gene, which controls the rate of aging. Cut calories in mice and insulin levels decline, blood pressure is normalized and levels of HDL “good” cholesterol rise. Still pending are the outcomes of two long-term monkey trials to determine whether calorie restriction works the same way in humans as it does in mice. If it does, experts have speculated that the human lifespan could be extended by 30% if resveratrol is found to activate class of proteins found in humans known as sirtuins, which regulate metabolism.
    In a Harvard Medical School study, mice were fed a diet in which 60% of calories came from fat. Not surprisingly, these mice began to develop grossly enlarged livers and die off. Another group of mice ate the same diet accompanied with a large daily dose of resveratrol. Though these mice also grew overweight, their livers remained at a normal size. More importantly, resveratrol helped extend what would have been a sharply shortened lifespan; the resveratrol mice enjoyed the same survival rate as mice fed healthy diets (Nature 11/16/06).

Improving Health All Over
    Resveratrol’s potential benefits go beyond defying age. In mice it has doubled muscular endurance, lowered bad cholesterol and suppressed colon cancer, among other positive outcomes. experimental gerontology researchers at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore have shown that the compound has very strong positive effects on preventing cardiovascular disease, reducing heart inflammation, keeping bone health in terms of structure and function, and maintaining loco-motor and balance activity.
    In early investigations, animals were fed such large amounts of resveratrol that a human being would have to drink more than 100 bottles of red wine a day for the same effect. However, researchers now think that resveratrol might be effective in both mice and people at much lower doses. Resveratrol may be obtained in capsule form; in higher-grade supplements, manufacturers include extracts of red wine in addition to the dried roots and stems of Japanese knotweed.
    What could you do with an extra 50 or so years of healthy living? Whether you’re looking to improve your survival odds or simply avoid chronic disease, chances are that resveratrol can help.

Back To Top