Resveratrol is the latest anti aging supplement to hit the market and you have probably already heard about it. After being featured on prime time news programs and some of the most popular day time talk shows, a lot of people are looking for more information on this supplement. There is a lot of research going on about resveratrol and this is refreshing since many supplements just make claims without any data. There are some scientists and researchers that think this is the key to unlocking longer life, but there still aren’t any FDA approved drugs using this yet.
You can find resveratrol in some common foods and drinks that many people already consume. For example, if you like to have a glass of red wine with dinner, you are getting some. You can also get a dose by eating peanuts or red grapes. There is about the same amount of resveratrol in either a glass of red wine or a cup of peanuts or red grapes. While this is good and these foods may provide other health benefits, clinical trials are using levels that you just cannot get in food. In fact, you would have to drink hundreds of bottles of wine a day to match the concentration being used in some trials.
Since it would be hard to get the level being used in clinical studies, resveratrol supplements are the only way you can try to get the benefits being tested. Most supplements contain at least 100 times more resveratrol than a glass of wine and some are as high as 500 times more potent. While these supplements are unproven and not approved by the FDA, many people are eager to try them and see if this could be the fountain of youth. Many companies are offering free trials if you pay for the shipping costs. If you choose to get a free trial, make sure you understand what you are signing up for because you will get new shipment of your resveratrol supplements (which aren’t free) automatically if you don’t cancel your free trial.
Now, let’s talk about what you may get from taking a supplement. There are 2 separate reports on WebMD that indicate that resveratrol prevents estrogen from causing breast cancer in test tube studies and can destroy cancer cells plus increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. According to Wikipedia, it has also normalized blood sugar in diabetic lab rats. There are a lot more promising tests, but at this point nothing has been approved by the FDA. I don’t want to belabor that point, but you need to know that nothing has been proven yet. With that said, there is reason to believe that taking a resveratrol supplement could have a positive effect on your health.
This information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered scientific fact. There has been no approval by the FDA for any health condition or disease treatment with resveratrol. You should consult your doctor for any treatments needed and before starting any exercise, diet program, or new health supplements. Much of the information used in this article was obtained from research done by Oregon State University and is published at lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/resveratrol/.
