Resveratrol is reported by the media with excited anticipation of its potential in the metabolic support of the immune system, anti-aging, sports performance, many health concerns, and life extension. Resveratrol, found in red grapes, fruits, berries and root extracts, was first isolated in 1940 as a constituent of Japanese Knotweed and the Hy Zhang Root Extract (Polygonum Cuspidatum). The bio-active chemical configuration is 3,4’,5-tri-hydroxy-trans-stilbene, a potent antioxidant. It is a powerful antioxidant that exists as two geometric isomers: cis-resveratrol and trans- resveratrol – the latter being the naturally occuring form. It is trans-resveratrol that is the nutritional supplement product of which all research, regarding the benefits of the compound, are conducted upon.

Featured on the Barbara Walters special “Live to 150,” Resveratrol has been in the news a great deal! Led by Dr. David Sinclair at Harvard University, research studies continue to find more interesting benefits from this compound, including potentially stagering health benefits and life extension activity. It is not surprising that Resveratrol is shaping up to be the greatest nutritional discovery of our lifetime. The media has nick-named Resveratrol as the “fountain of youth”.

Beginning November 1, 2006 nearly 500 newspapers reported on the resveratrol story and virtually every major TV news department followed. The news media heralded a study which showed that a high-dose, “red wine molecule”, maintained the quality of life of laboratory mice (balance and coordination) as they aged despite a high-fat diet the high-fat fed mice lived 31% longer when given resveratrol.

Next, the anti-nutritional supplement news media began swaying consumers towards wine (as a source of resveratrol) because, as some authorities claimed, there was an uncertainty over the sources and safety of resveratrol supplementation. Forget that the EPA deems resveratrol to be non-toxic. Forget that animal studies show the equivalent of 21,000 milligrams in humans would be non-toxic. Forget that three human clinical trials using 500 milligrams of resveratrol have passed the safety arm of their study. Forget that the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has conducted a toxicity review of resveratrol, and no major side effects are noted. For the record, resveratrol is far safer than any alcoholic beverage and is said to be safer than aspirin. When an alternative to an alcoholic beverage was available, a fact which should have been heralded, the news media, in a phobic aversion to dietary supplements, advised the public to “get drunk” on wine. So 90 percent of the news reports said, until proven otherwise, wine was safer than pills. Conversely, reporters further explained it would take too much wine to produce the same health benefits as shown in the recent study and consumers would have to drink about a case of wine per day to achieve the health benefits.

In a widely publicized report, researchers at Harvard Medical School and BIOMOL Laboratories have demonstrated that resveratrol activates a “longevity gene” by activating a cell’s survival defense enzyme, which prolongs the time cells have to repair their broken DNA.

One of the known causes of aging and death is that older cells lose their ability to perfectly replicate DNA in every new cell. DNA “mistakes” accumulate and allow little pieces of DNA to become active and print themselves out, so to speak, creating a type of “DNA debris” that eventually stops a cell from functioning effectively. It is similar to printing out a report and having a couple of pages at the end not contain any relevant information-so you throw them away. The cell can’t throw away the extra “printed out” DNA; it accumulates and clogs up the cell. This build up of “debris” is connected to aging, and the death of individual cells. Resveratrol has been shown to reduces the frequency of “DNA debris” by 60% through the longevity gene that is stimulated.

Resveratrol’s ability to activate the gene has to do with its chemical structure, not its antioxidant potential. It works by increasing the rate of a reaction known as “deacetylation.” Acetylation reactions affect whether a gene is “off” or “on.” By controlling deacetylation and augmenting the longevity gene, resveratrol is able to confer some serious life extension and health benefits-at least in the laboratory organisms.

Resveratrol may provide joint support and support the body’s defense system. Studies have shown that it may delay age related deterioration and mimic the effect of calorie restriction; Activate intracellular pathways crucial for antioxidant defense, regulate the cell cycle, increase mitochondrial energy production, vascular tone, and abnormal cell suppression. It has been proposed that Resveratrol is one of the most important dietary constituents involved in blood vessel health, possibly helping protect the heart from age and stress; it also has the potential benefits of energy, increased endurance and agility; possibly contributing to overall health and wellness.*

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease.

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