20 Things You Need to Know About Resveratrol

1. Red grapes produce a phytochemical called resveratrol, which protects them from ultraviolet radiation, fungus infections, and other stressors. Resveratrol activates anti-aging genes that stimulate the production of proteins that circulate in your body, throwing overboard cells that aren't pulling their weight and rejuvenating cells damaged by advanced glycation end-products (AGEs).
   
   - Dr. Steven R. Gundry, Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution: Turn Off the Genes That Are Killing You - And Your Waistline - And Drop the Weight for Good
2. Resveratrol, has been found by Harvard medical school researchers to activate a longevity gene in yeast that extends life by 70 percent.
   
   - Gabriel Cousens, There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program
3. A large body of research supports the role of resveratrol in resisting cancer, inflammation and heart disease. Resveratrol has been found to suppress the activation of inflammatory cytokines and COX-2, and shows special promise in preventing and slowing the progression of breast cancer. Resveratrol is also a potent antioxidant.
   
   - Freedom Press, Natural Cancer Cures: The Definitive Guide to Using Dietary Supplements to Fight and Prevent Cancer
4. In controlled studies, resveratrol has been shown to reduce skin cancer tumors by up to 98 percent, to stop production of leukemia cells. In addition, it works as a Cox inhibitor, thus halting the spread of cancer throughout the body.
   
   - Jon Barron, Lessons from The Miracle Doctors: A Step-by-Step Guide to Optimum Health and Relief from Catastrophic Illness
5. Many red fruits and vegetables contain resveratrol. Rich sources include grapes, grape juice and red wine. According to Dr. James Howenstine, author of A Physician's Guide to Natural Health Products That Work , 20 mg of resveratrol daily provides maximal health benefits. Red wine has 0.2 mg per glass. Since drinking 100 glasses of wine would prove toxic indeed, wine is definitely not the best source of this nutrient!
   
   - Susan E. Schenck, The Live Food Factor: The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet
6. The fermentation process that produces wine yields carbon dioxide, which protects the resveratrol from the effects of oxygen. Interestingly, the higher the altitude at which grapes are grown, the more resveratrol they produce to protect against sun damage. In Sardinia, where grapes grow at 4,000 feet above sea level, there are more centenarians per 100,000 people than almost any other culture.
   
   - Dr. Steven R. Gundry, Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution: Turn Off the Genes That Are Killing You - And Your Waistline - And Drop the Weight for Good
7. Plants that produce resveratrol do so in response to stress, so this phytochemical serves as a natural antibiotic for the plant. In humans, its protective effects may contribute to the Mediterranean paradox -- the protective effect of red wine drinking on cardiovascular health.
   
   - Elaine Magee, Food Synergy: Unleash Hundreds of Powerful Healing Food Combinations to Fight Disease and Live Well
8. Phenolic antioxidant resveratrol found in berries and grapes has been reported to inhibit the growth formation of prostate tumor cells by acting on the regulatory genes such as p53 while activating a cascade of genes involved in cell cycle and apoptosis including p300, Apaf-1, cdk inhibitor p21, p57 (KIP2), p53-induced Pig 7, Pig 8, Pig 10, cyclin D, and DNA fragmentation factor 45, although some findings were not confirmed by Rt-PCR. [68].
   
   - Ann M. Coulston and Carol J. Boushey, Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease
9. When incubated with hepatoma cells, resveratrol induced Phase II detoxifying enzymes that detoxified and inhibited the proliferation of these cells. Resveratrol also inhibited the development of preneoplastic lesions when mice were exposed to tumor initiators and promoters.
   
   - Donald R. Yance, jr.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine, Herbal Medicine, Healing and Cancer: A Comprehensive Program for Prevention and Treatment
10. The precise amount of wine needed to reap any possible benefits of resveratrol is unknown and will vary depending on your size and weight. As a general rule, you should try to limit yourself to no more than two glasses a night. Recent studies have linked moderate intake of alcohol with a 45 percent less risk of developing dementia.
    
    - Peter J. Whitehouse and Daniel George, The Myth of Alzheimer's: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis
11. Ellagic acid is believed to reduce damage caused by carcinogens in tobacco smoke and air pollutants, while resveratrol has shown powerful antioxidant action, potentially offering protection from heart disease.
    
    - Elaine Magee, Food Synergy: Unleash Hundreds of Powerful Healing Food Combinations to Fight Disease and Live Well
12. Resveratrol is an antioxidant found in many foods, but most abundantly in peanuts and red grapes. Red wine from cold climates (such as France) is a particularly good source of resveratrol. It is less concentrated in red wines from warmer climes such as California, Italy, Spain, or Portugal. Studies from the University of Illinois have shown that the number of early breast lesions and skin cancers in mice dropped dramatically when they were given high doses of resveratrol.
    
    - Ralph Moss, PhD, Antioxidants Against Cancer: How to activate your body's natural healing powers with today's most protective and immune-boosting supplements and foods
13. Knotweed (a Japanese plant) has forty times more resveratrol per pound than grapes do, and it grows everywhere (and makes a great apple pie). Paradoxically, muscadine grapes from the southeast United States also have a ton of resveratrol (several times more than wine).
    
    - Mehmet C. Oz., M.D. and Michael F. Roizen, M.D., You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty
14. Italian researchers discovered something even more profound regarding the chemistry of resveratrol. They determined that this unique chemical revitalizes nerve cells. In fact, resveratrol induced portions of the nerves to regenerate, in other words, the nerves started growing again, a feat formerly deemed impossible. A reasonable conclusion is that resveratrol is a major protector of the genes, in other words, it prevents chromosome damage. Yet, grape extracts offer another mechanism of action.
    
    - Dr. Cass Ingram, Dr. Cass Ingram's Lifesaving Cures
15. The pistachio is second only to wine as a tremendous source of the plant chemical resveratrol. This substance may play a role in fighting cancer and heart disease.
    
    - David W. Grotto, RD, LDN, 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life!
16. Don't rush out to the health food store to buy resveratrol capsules, which are generally worthless because resveratrol is inactivated by exposure to oxygen.
    
    - Dr. Steven R. Gundry, Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution: Turn Off the Genes That Are Killing You - And Your Waistline - And Drop the Weight for Good
17. Finally, resveratrol has made news for the last decade or so as one of the key "antiaging" compounds in red wine and grapes. "It lowers blood pressure, blood fats, and glucose," Houston says, "and it relaxes the vascular smooth muscles."
    
    - Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why
18. Studies have shown that resveratrol may prevent heart disease in two important ways. First, it inhibits the formation of blood clots, which can trigger both heart attack and stroke. Second, it plays a role in cholesterol metabolism, which may prevent the formation of artery-clogging plaque. What's even more exciting, however, is resveratrol's potential as cancer fighter.
    
    - Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D., Earl Mindell's Supplement Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to Hundreds of NEW Natural Products that Will Help You Live Longer, Look Better, Stay Heathier, ... and Much More!
19. Research at Harvard Medical School and BIOMOL Research Laboratories has shown that taking the supplement resveratrol may even turn on the anti-aging genes, much like a low-calorie diet. If you prefer to get this phytonutrient in whole foods, it is found in organic grapes, red wine, pine tree bark and other plants, such as Japanese knotweed (polygonum cuspidatum). Of course cooking will destroy this nutrient.
    
    - Susan E. Schenck, The Live Food Factor: The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet
20. Resveratrol produced changes associated with longer life span and produced the following biologic effects: 1. Increased insulin sensitivity leading to better blood-sugar control; 2. Reduced insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) levels -- a molecule related to a growth hormone that promotes cancer growth; 3. Increased AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) -- a signaling system in the body that controls insulin sensitivity and can prevent diabetes.
    
    - Mark Hyman MD, The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First

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