The health benefits of resveratrol (commonly misspelled reservatrol) can be heard far and wide.
60 Minutes, Barbara Walters, John Hopkins University and the USDA have all reported great benefits from this newly discovered compound. It’s almost common knowledge now that the health benefits of drinking red wine stem from resveratrol, a compound found in the skin of grapes – but what isn’t common knowledge is the specific benefits one gains by consuming resveratrol.
Just recently, in fact, Emma Wightman from the University of Northumbria, discovered that resveratrol helps you think. Seriously. One of the benefits of resveratrol is it helps you think. 24 adults took a series of mental tests before which they were given either resveratrol or a placebo. The results showed significant improvements in cognitive performance in the participants who took resveratrol!
The Life Extending Benefits of Resveratrol
The most famous resveratol health benefit, due to 60 Minutes and Barbara Walters is its ability to extend life in mice, yeast and rats – in the laboratory. In addition to extending their lives, the application of resveratrol proved to be an anti-inflammatory, it lowered blood sugar, prevented cancer and other cardiovascular positives.
Recently scientists identified the genes they believe to be associated with the length of life. These longevity genes are activated during times of survival and have been labeled sirtuins. Once sirtuins are engaged by the body, they put into action measures to help lengthen life like slowing the metabolism and respiration rate.
Scientists started to look for non-perilous triggers that would activate the sirtuins in the body and discovered Resveratrol to be very effective.
Researchers found that resveratrol could activate the sirtuin in yeast cells and they would live 60 to 80 percent longer. Researchers duplicated their results with mice, which is what spawned 60 Minutes and Barbara Walters Specials.
The Antioxidant Benefits of Resveratrol
Antioxidants are nature’s youth protectors. There are lots of things out there that destroy healthy cells. That destruction is what we call aging. Injured skin cells make the skin look leathery and wrinkled. Damaged artery wall cells allow clotting to take hold and begin. The antioxidants are our defense.
One of the benefits of resveratrol is that it acts like a true antioxidant. Like antioxidant molecules, resveratrol molecules can donate electrons to unstable free radicals and still remain stable themselves. (Read more about the science of antioxidants).
Resveratrol has been found to be more powerful and effective than Vitamins C and E (the most famous antioxidants). As an antioxidant, Resveratrol inhibits the degredation of lipids and LDL cholesterol – thus resveratrol helps lower the bad cholesterol. And like an antioxidant, resveratrol protects cells from oxidative damage caused by free radicals.
This cellular damage has been implicated in the development of cancer – but is most commonly associated with aging. Damaged cells manifest themselves as aged cells – thus resveratrol prevents the signs of aging and can make you look and feel younger.
Anti Cancer Benefits of Resveratrol
Another of the health benefits of resveratrol is its anti-cancer attributes. An ideal anti-cancer compound would naturally adhere to certain properties. It would have to be low-cost and something able to be consumed or applied. It would need to have a high efficacy amongst users and have little to no adverse side effects. Finally, it would need to be presented in a vehicle people were comfortable with and otherwise felt as safe.
Resveratrol is this compound.
Resveratrol research has shown resveratrol to induce the deaths of tumor and cancer cells. These effects were confirmed in several in vitro studies, and were successful in every type of human cancer that was tested, including: breast, prostate, esophagal, cervix, ovary, lung and skin cancer. It was also shown to inhibit tumor growth in the development of colon cancer by blocking the building enzyme Cox-2.
Read More on Resveratrol and Cancer!
Probiotics Move Over, Resveratrol Can Help
Researchers at Clemson University found that the compounds in grapes, like resveratrol inhibit the bad bacteria growing in your digestive system. Most health practitioners speak of the health benefits of the good bacterias found in yogurt and probiotics, but use drugs to treat the bad.
Helicobacter pylori, which you may have heard as H.Plyori, is the main culprit. Using resveratrol to stop the growth of H.plyori could prevent gastritis, and more importantly your body won’t become immune to grapes – like it would for drugs.
More Fantastic Benefits of Resveratrol
Resveratrol is beneficial in:
- protecting the central nervous system, by increasing the levels of heme oxygenase (an enzyme known to protect nerve cells) in the brain.
- regulating hormones
- acting as blood thinning agent, minimizing the formation of clots and alleviating the damage to blood vessels, and suppressing platelet aggregation.
- acting as an anti-inflammatory, anti-infective (against fungi and viruses)
- controlling cravings leading to weight loss
- shielding against hearing loss
- increasing and reducing estrogen excess in men (and in women who require aromatase in the treatment of cancer).
- reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.