Slow Aging With Resveratrol

By Alex Ariel Sanders

Resveratrol is a constituent of red wine. It came to public attention following a report that French men who drank red wine did not have some of the age related diseases that their American counterparts in the same age group suffered frequently. Resveratrol is also found in small amounts in berries, peanuts and grape skins. The above report has ignited an interest on how we can live longer with Resveratrol

First, resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants are compounds that reduce the number of free radicals, which are waste products of cellular functions in our body. Therefore, Resveratrol has been associated for many years to weight loss and has been also sold as a dietary supplement to help people burn fat. Its ability to slow the aging process has not been proven until recently.

Resveratrol resembles the effects of caloric restriction diet in more than one way. Its effect on aging is basically parallel to that of being on a restricted calorie diet, which has been proven to slow down the aging process and help avoid a number, if not all, of age-related illnesses.

It is believed that resveratrol works to block the absorption of certain fats inside the body and helps to flush them through the digestive tract out of the body. In addition, it bonds with certain bad cholesterol and triglycerides to keep them from building up in the body.

In other studies on resveratrol, there are evidences that support that idea of the said compound working on the genetic level by rendering the aging gene useless. These studies are currently ongoing and have not yet been full-proofed. However, resveratrol is at its running to be the ultimately desired fountain of youth should these studies be able to prove its real potential. Other evidences show its capacity to inhibit and even prevent some cancers, with more emphasis on breast cancer in women.

Curiously, despite its presence in red wine, grapes, berries, and other foods, resveratrol is not well absorbed from the foods we eat. In order to get the sort of benefits these studies show it can possibly have, it must be taken in high doses as a dietary supplement.

In pill or capsule form, it takes a minimum of 250 mg to produce a measurable amount in the blood after 30 minutes. All traces of resveratrol are gone after 4 hours. This seems to indicate that, in order to maintain sufficient levels in the blood to be of benefit for slowing the aging process, supplementation with resveratrol should be taken at regular intervals that do not exceed 4 hours. - 31875

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here