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More Information on Resveratrol

 

Red wine is brimming with resveratrol. It is found in high concentrations in the skin of the grape, and seems to play a role in protecting it from invading bacteria and fungi.

Resveratrol ( trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene ) is a protective compound produced by grape seed, red wine, knotweed, polygonum, raspberries, and other plants in response to environmental stresses. Resveratrol is a phytoalexin, a class of antibiotic compounds produced as a part of a plant's defense system against disease and fungus. Since fungal infections are more common in cooler climates, plants grown in cooler climates have a higher concentration. The resveratrol content of wine is related to the length of time the grape skins are present during the fermentation process. Thus the concentration is significantly higher in red wine than in white wine, because the skins are removed earlier during white-wine production, lessening the amount that is extracted.

If you follow the news, then you have likely heard of resveratrol, an antioxidant commonly found in red wine, grape skins and other plants.

Many people heard about resveratrol for the first time on Sunday, January 25, 2009, when the CBS News program 60 Minutes aired a segment on the promising new research surrounding resveratrol.

CBS News Correspondent Morley Safer interviews Harvard University researchers Christoff Westphal and David Sinclair, who have been pursuing the genetic link between resveratrol and enzymes called sirtuins for the past 5 years.

Sirtuins are a recently discovered class of enzymes that appear to control the aging process. In this video, Safer, Westphal and Sinclair discuss the incredible results from ongoing research aimed at identifying and isolating the exact component of resveratrol responsible for these lab results, in an effort to manufacture a pharmaceutical from this naturally-occurring compound.

Previously " Live to 150...Can You Do It? " an ABC News and Barbara Walters Special (April 1, 2008), Barbara Walters talked to researchers about the stunning research on longevity and Resveratrol. A little over a year earlier, researchers examining resveratrol made front-page news with their studies showing that resveratrol increased the life expectancy of lab animals by over 40%!.

Resveratrol is believed to be the plants' natural defense against adverse growing conditions and fungal attacks. While resveratrol is commonly found in red wine, it is only available in small amounts and those amounts vary greatly from wine to wine and bottle to bottle.

Below is a brief summary of the biggest headline-grabbing research results:

Resveratrol & Longevity

Resveratrol has been in the news over the last few years due to the results of several animal studies that found a link between resveratrol intake and significantly extended life spans. So far those studies have not been conducted on long-lived animals like humans. But the results of the animal studies are impressive to say the least. In 2003 researchers found that resveratrol increased the life span of a yeast by 70%. 2 A follow-up 2006 study found a 56% increase in life span among a particular worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, and the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. 3 In 2006, a study of a short-lived fish also found an extension of the animals' lives and revealed that the resveratrol delayed the onset of age-related markers. 4,5 But the real break-through news on resveratrol came in the form of two studies published in the fall of 2006. 6 The first of the two studies was published in the highly regarded scientific journal Nature , and found that resveratrol not only extended life by 40% in lab mice, but those same mice were eating a high calorie, high-fat diet without developing the ill-effects, such as diabetes and heart disease, that are normally associated with that kind of diet. The mice still got fat, but they stayed healthy.

Resveratrol & Athletic Endurance

In December of 2006 the scientific journal Cell published a study from researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France, which reported that resveratrol doubled the athletic endurance of lab mice, controlled weight gain, and prevented diabetes.

References

  1. Jellin JM, Gregory PJ, Batz F, Hitchens K, et al. Pharmacist's Letter/Prescriber's letter Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. 8th ed. Stockton, CA: Therapeutic Research Faculty; 2006:pg 1247-1248
  2. Howitz, K. T., K. J. Bitterman, et al. (2003). "Small molecule activators of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan." Nature 425(6954): 191-6.
  3. Wood, J. G., B. Rogina, et al. (2004). "Sirtuin activators mimic caloric restriction and delay ageing in metazoans." Nature 430(7000): 686-9.
  4. Valenzano, D. R., E. Terzibasi, et al. (2006). "Resveratrol prolongs lifespan and retards the onset of age-related markers in a short-lived vertebrate." Curr Biol 16(3): 296-300.
  5. Valenzano, D. R., E. Terzibasi, et al. (2006). "Resveratrol prolongs lifespan and retards the onset of age-related markers in a short-lived vertebrate." Curr Biol 16(3): 296-300.
  6. Baur, J. A., K. J. Pearson, et al. (2006). "Resveratrol improves health and survival of mice on a high-calorie diet." Nature 444(7117): 337-42.
  7. Lagouge, M., C. Argmann, et al. (2006). "Resveratrol improves mitochondrial function and protects against metabolic disease by activating SIRT1 and PGC-1alpha." Cell 127(6): 1109-22.