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Resveralife on Super Foods Containing Resveratrol

Now found in supplements and many skin care products the phenol compound Resveratrol is being hailed by scientists, health professionals and beauty experts as the newest wonder product due to its many health benefits. However, you do not need to purchase fancy health and beauty products to get your fix of resveratrol as it is found naturally in many food products. Here we take a look at the super foods containing Resveratrol and how they can benefit your health.

Just before we discover what foods contain this wonder product we need to know exactly what it is and what the benefits actually are. Resveratrol is a plant phenol that is a powerful antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory. Research into the compound has shown some of the many health benefits include lowering cholesterol, targeting insulin resistance which the precursor to diabetes and promoting general good health. As it works on a cellular level to encourage longer cell life it is even thought to slow the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and even limit the spread of cancer cells. Resveratrol’s powerful capabilities of prolonging cell life also make it the must-have ingredient for many anti-aging products.

So, what are the super foods that contain such a miraculous compound? One of the best foods featuring resveratrol is red grapes. They are not only packed with the antioxidant properties of resveratrol but are also full of vitamins and minerals. The grapes loose none of their power when turned into wine; making red wine another popular choice when it comes to intake of resveratrol. Whilst the odd glass can benefit your health you must still only ever drink in moderation; overdoing the alcohol will only cause other health problems.

Staying on the fruit theme, many berries are also a great source of resveratrol. Cranberries, bilberries and especially blueberries are all a good choice. Blueberries are another example of a super food full of useful vitamins and minerals as well as resveratrol.

If fruit really isn’t your thing you may be pleased to know that resveratrol can also be found in foods such as peanuts and dark chocolate both of which are also a good source of manganese; great for strengthening the bones. The benefits are the same whether you eat peanuts as they are or as peanut butter. When it comes to the chocolate, the darker it is the higher the amounts of resveratrol. Again, it is important to remember that whilst these contain good things they are still pretty high in calories so don’t go mad!

For those of you who enjoy a nice cup of tea, why not try Itadori tea?  For many years this has been used as a traditional remedy in China and Japan. It contains resveratrol and is thought to help prevent strokes and heart disease. It is made from Japanese knotweed and tastes very much like rhubarb.

You can get your Resveratrol fix from these foods or for a higher dose try Resveratrol supplements.

Resveralife Examines Studies on Necessary Quantities of Resveratrol for Effectiveness

The latest research might come as a disappointment to all red wine enthusiasts because it shows that the amount of Resveratrol present in red wine is not enough to bring about skin benefits. Resveratrol, believed to be one of the most effective anti-aging ingredients and antioxidants in the world, is commonly found in the skin of red grapes. People have been consuming the ingredient in their diets for years with the hopes of boosting their anti-aging efforts and get younger looks.

Contrary to what was initially believed, this new study shows that the life-extending and disease-fighting benefits cannot be derived by consuming it through food or red wine. This study was conducted on a population of two villages in Chianti, Italy. A total of 783 men and women who were at least 65 years old were made a part of this study. Their Resveratrol intake was studied for a period of 10 years between 1998 – 2009. The results of this study were recently published in the JAMA Internal Medicine Journal.

Researchers used the subject’s urine and tested them for Resveratol metabolites, instead of asking participants to record their intakes in order to produce effective and accurate results. The study also ensured that less than 1% of its participants took herbal supplements, minerals or vitamins of any kind. Therefore, any increase in the byproducts of Resveratrol could be directly attributed to the food items and drinks consumed.

According to reports, about one-thirds of the participants died during this 9-year study. Furthermore, 4.6% participants developed cancer while 27% of the participants developed cardiovascular diseases. The study revealed no differences in the inflammation, cancer or cardiovascular disease rates, irrespective of whether the participants took Resveratrol or not. Upon first glance, it might come across as a major disappointment for all Resveratrol enthusiasts because the study actually shows that the Resveatrol in the food does not offer any visible benefits to the human body.

However, this was something that was already suspected by experts. The body needs a lot more Resveratrol than what can be consumed through food and red wine in order to produce noticeable changes, reduce inflammation and allow a person to live for longer. According to Dr. David Sinclair, a Harvard University researcher, the amounts of Resveratrol obtained through the diets of humans is actually negligible. Thus, the only way to derive the wonderful benefits that Resveratrol has to offer is to consume it in higher  doses.

This is where an earlier study that we mentioned about proves to be so useful. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why the skin care industry has been showering so much attention on Resveratrol. According to a study that we have already discussed about, topical applications of Resveratrol have proven to be more effective than ingesting it orally. One of the main reasons for this result was that it is possible to include increased amounts of Resveratrol by way of topical applications, thereby allowing the body to enjoy the right amount of Resveratrol that it needs in order to take the most out of the ingredient.

There is no doubt that Resveratrol is still one of the most exciting compounds to have been discovered by mankind. However, we need to be patient and wait for science to understand more about its basic biology and uncover the best possible ways and means of using it. Until then, topical applications of Resveratrol seems to be the best way of deriving benefits from this magical ingredient.

Resveratrol's Ability to Treat ANCL

Human prion protein (hPrP), chemical structure. Associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including kuru, BSE and Creutzfeldt-Jakob. Cartoon + wireframe. N- (yellow) to C-term (red) gradient color.Resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant that is found in the skin of red grapes, is extremely famous in the world of skin care because of its unique anti-aging benefits. Recent research now shows that Resveratrol might also be very effective in offering the first cure for a neurodegenerative disease known as ANCL (Adult Onset Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis).

According to a study that was funded by the BBSRC and AGE UK and was published in the Human Molecular Genetics Journal, a group of University of Liverpool researchers have finally been successful in finding a potential cure for ANCL. Alan Morgan, the lead researcher of this project, states that even though ANCL currently remains to be untreatable, their research allows them to test for compounds that could offer effective treatments. He further states that among all the compounds tested in the first batch, one (Resveratrol) has shown highly encouraging effects.

ANCL is a disease that is known to affect almost 1 out of every 100,000 people in North America and Europe. It mostly affects adults in their mid-thirties and death comes as early as the mid forties. Despite constant research, no cure was found for the disease until now. However, even though previous studies were unsuccessful in finding a cure, they had managed to connect the disease to the DNAJC5 gene.

The latest study used nematode worms to search for cures for the ANCL disease. The disease was introduced into their bodies my mutating the dnj-14 gene, a gene which is quite similar to the DNAJC5 gene in humans. Since these worms have a lifespan of a couple of weeks only, symptoms of the disease were developed within days. This helped in reducing the time frame that was needed to design and study ANCL treatments.

Researchers used this model to test for a number of chemicals. One of the chemicals that was tested on these worms was Resveratrol, and surprisingly, Resveratrol actually managed to cure the disease without even having to act through the SIR-2.1 enzyme. Almost all other potential treatments were forced to act through this enzyme.

These results have encouraged researchers to test for more chemicals and decide whether nematodes can also be used to study for potential treatments against other neurodegenerative diseases that mankind suffers from. These findings go on to suggest that Resveratrol can play a major role in helping humans to prevent diseases and repair the damage caused by diseases. Although scientists have already been studying Resveratrol for many decades, this compound never ceases to amaze.

In fact, in a study conducted in the year 2003, researchers have also managed to prove that using Resveratrol can help in increasing the life span. This was done using short-lived fish as test subjects. Resveratrol helped in increasing their lifespan by as much as 50%. Moreover, the fish that were offered Resveratrol were able to swim and learn new things in their old age better than fish that were not offered Resveratrol.

This leads to the argument that there is still so much more that the world needs to know about Resveratrol. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if we found Resveratrol to become the most important compound known to man in the near future.

Baby with grapes

Resveratrol Update – Resveratrol Examined for Reproductive Benefits

 

A group of experts recently conducted a pilot clinical study in order to determine the effects of Resveratrol on the systematic sex steroid hormones. The study was conducted using 40 subjects who were offered with 1gm of Resveratrol for a total of 12 weeks. 6 of the subjects were withdrawn from the study because of certain adverse effects. However, the other 34 successfully managed to complete the entire Resverarrol intervention. The results obtained by testing these 34 subjects show that although Resveratrol intervention did not bring about significant changes in the estrone, testosterone or estradiol, it did manage to a 10% increase (on an average) in terms of the concentrations of the SHBGs, also known as the sex steroid binding globulins.

However, out of the remaining 36 participants, two subjects suffered from Grade 3 rashes, one participant suffered from a Grade 4 elevation of the liver enzymes. All other issues were Grade 1 or Grade 2 events (considered to be common in such studies). In fact, the most common problems were increased cholesterol levels and diarrhea.

This led the experts to conclude that 1gm of Resveratrol had a favorable effect on the SHBG as well as the estrogen metabolisms for obese postmenopausal women.

As you might already be aware, the risk of breast cancer can be partially determined by a number of factors that relate to your hormones. According to this study, Resveratrol might prove to be extremely useful in moderating these hormonal factors. However, placebo controlled tests are required to confirm these findings and the adverse effects that have been found also need to be observed in a study population before we can offer you with concrete proof.

Pencil eraser erasing leukemia

Resveratrol Update – Resveratrol Aids in Preventing Leukemia?

Pencil eraser erasing leukemia

Cardiotoxicity is considered to be one of the most common side effects of numerous antineoplastic agents like arsenic trioxide, one of the main treatments for a disease known as acute promyelocytic leukemia. Researchers recently investigated the possibility of using a combination of arsenic trioxide and Resveratorl or genistein in creating a cardiac friendly therapeutic strategy for acute promyelocytic leukemia.

 

During the research, potential combinations were explored and the effects of these combinations on reactive oxygen species, autophagy, mitochondrial membrane potential, apoptosis and superoxide dismutase activity were determined. The results of the experiments suggested that about 5 µM of Resveratrol helped in reducing cardiotoxicity caused by arsenic trioxide to a great extent. To get the same amount of benefits, researchers had to use a dosage of genistein that was 10 times stronger than the Resveratrol dosage. Furthermore, administering Resveratrol also boosted the anti-cancer effects of the arsenic trioxide present in the NB4 cells. Resveratrol also aggravated mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, thereby reflecting its synergy with arsenic trioxide. In addition to these results, using 5 µM of Resveratrol with a singular drug formula of arsenic trioxide lead to an increase in the cellular autophagy activity, thereby indicating the involvement of autophagy-mediated tumor cell death.

 

This study goes a long way in showcasing the importance of Resveratrol in terms of preventing Leukemia. Researchers believe that it is entirely possible to combine Resveratrol to arsenic trioxide in order to prevent cardiotoxicity and achieve better therapeutic effects. However, the poor bioavailability of the compound remains to be a major concern in its clinical applications.

 

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