.What is Resveratrol

Resveratrol (3,4´,5-trihydroxystilbene) is a natural phenolic compound found in trans- and cis- forms. There is a lot of excitement (and thus research and web pages) about the trans- form, but little known on the benefits of the cis- form.
Both forms are found in the skins of a number of fruits and plants, where its prime function is to protect against potential invaders like moulds and fungi. The largest concentrations are found in red grape skins with about 10 per cent of these levels also occurring in blueberries and bilberries and even smaller amounts in raspberries and blackberries. Many people have lauded resveratrol as the major health benefit component of red wine. A little understanding is however needed on this subject.

The Red wine ´story´ - Red wine is produced with the wine being made on the grape skins and certain types of wine - particularly from damper areas of the globe can contain up to 3 mgs of resveratrol per litre. However, white wine and champagne are produced having separated off the skins so contain little of this compound. Worse, the use of modern pesticides and fungicides has reduced the need for defensive resveratrol in the grape skin because it seems to be produced in response to the attack. So you get the double negative whammy less resveratrol and a pesticide contaminated end product if you don´t drink an organic wine.
Worse certain wine countries are looking at GM grapes which will be mould resistant. Less and less of this beneficial compound may appear in bottles of mass-produced red wine in the future. Resveratrol is also damaged by light and oxygen, so keeping the red wine on brightly lit supermarket shelves doesnt help either, nor drinking a glass of wine in a restaurant which opened the bottle yesterday!
Sources: Red grapes are certainly not the only good source. For example, blackberries (black raspberries) provide a powerful mix of cancer-inhibiting compounds according to new research from the Ohio State University Cancer Center.
Rats injected with oesophageal cancer inducing factors were divided into two groups. The group eating black raspberries after two weeks had 60 per cent less cancers and the researchers concluded that the berries protected the genome from damage.
Indeed, the researchers described the results as astonishing. Having measured the gene activity in the rats, while 50 per cent altered due to the cancer induction in the normal group, 20 per cent less were altered in the group taking the berries.
Lead researcher Gary Stoner felt that these results must derive from a number of natural compounds in the fruit. But then that is exactly what we keep telling you at CANCERactive: Cancer is a multistep process and to tackle it you need to tackle the various steps and stages. Some natural compounds may work well on one step, while others work on other steps.
Research studies usually use concentrations of the compound above 20 mgs and there is little research on its safety at higher levels. Supplements frequently use resveratrol from plants and herbs other than grape skins notably Polygorum

Facts about Reserveratrol 2

Why we called Resveratrol is  the greatest discovery since Antibiotics (part 2)

From Research studies the benefits include include:

Yeast and Fungal infections

Not surprisingly, since resveratrols prime function in nature is to protect the sugary flesh of the fruit against moulds, fungi and yeasts, a study in Arch Pharm Res. 2005 May;28(5):557 found potent anti-fungal activity in the human body with resveratrol. This included destruction of candida albicans.

Another study showed that administering resveratrol immediately after influenza infection, stopped the virus from replicating by altering certain factors in the potential host cells of the human body (Journal of Infectious Diseases May, 2005).

Anti-inflammation

A study in the American Journal of Physiology (Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2004 Jun 4) using resveratrol in conjunction with quercitin showed that they stopped the enzyme production, particularly of cytokines, that could lead to inflammation in cells. Importantly they did not interfere with the simultaneous activity of Tamoxifen, nor did Tamoxifen interfere with their activity, showing they could be taken simultaneously. This has implications for inflammatory diseases and particularly cancers like breast cancer.

Anti-ageing and calorie restriction 

Resveratrol activates a gene called sirtuin 1 –the longevity gene !

Click here for Dr Oz interviewed by Diane Sawyer on ABC

Leonard Guarente, the Novartis Professor of Biology at MIT first discovered the effects of SIRT1 (click here for more info about SIRT1)  and other sirtuin proteins while studying yeast in the 1990s. Since then, these proteins have been shown to coordinate a variety of hormonal networks, regulatory proteins and other genes, helping to keep cells alive and healthy.

The same gene that's activated during calorie restriction. Since scientists already know they can extend lifespan in various species of animals by restricting calories, this has exciting implications for humans.*

And perhaps most importantly, resveratrol appears to produce many of the same benefits as exercise.* One benefit in particular is its ability to help promote normal healthy insulin levels.* Insulin resistance speeds up the aging process, so if you can maintain healthy insulin levels, you can potentially help promote the longevity of cells and tissues.*

One of the most interesting developments has come in the area of calorie restriction. The Okinawans have the longest life expectancy in the world. One of the major reasons for this (apart from their high mineral and low sodium intakes) is calorie restriction they consume up to 40 per cent less calories than even the Japanese of 50 years ago.

This is not the first time calorie restriction has been noted as a factor in longevity. The Norwegians had their food supplies dramatically reduced by the occupying German Military during the Second World War, yet their restricted diets of fish and lowered calories resulted in a 35 per cent overall health improvement.

Research studies with rats show that calorie deprivation results in increased longevity: A 10-30 per cent reduction can almost double their life span. Harvard Researchers (icon 2. 2007) have even released a video explaining how cutting the food intake of any organism by 30-40 per cent can increase longevity.

Interested in buying Resveratrol? Click here for the Natural Selection "Product of Choice".

Calorie restriction has a number of benefits:

• The end benefit is that the body is slimmer and leaner. Fat is a wonderful solvent. If you have fat stores around your body, they will hold toxins, chemicals and hormones you would rather excrete.
• Calorie restriction reduces metabolic rate. Your Power stations, or mitochondria, are not required to work as hard or burn as much fuel, so less waste products, toxins and free radicals are produced.
•  Calorie restriction reduces insulin production, and this reduces the risks of both diabetes and cancer. IGF-1 levels are also lowered in the body IGF-1 can cause the rapid multiplication of cells.
• But the important ´added discovery´ is that calorie restriction increases the body´s stress response-increasing survival hormones and, along with this, the body´s ability to repair DNA and heighten cellular efficiency.

There have been a number of important research studies conducted by Harvard Medical School on nematodes, fruit flies and mice most notably the study (Nature 2006;444:337-342) by Harvard and others using small mice. In this Resveratrol increased longevity by stimulating the survival defence enzyme Sir, which in turn stimulates the production of sirtuins (SIRT1) , survival defence hormones produced when animals are on restricted calorie diets. And in turn, this improved insulin sensitivity and reduced

IGF-1 levels, increased mitochondrial numbers and activity, and improved motor function. Moreover it negated the detrimental effects of a high-calorie diet at a genetic level.

However the dosage used was 24 mgs per kilogram of body weight equivalent to 1000 bottles per day of red wine!

Not surprisingly there are also scientific studies that show a restriction of calories can stop tumour growth. Drugs based on resveratrol are being studied for both anti-ageing and type-2 diabetes. But whilst Pharmaceutical companies are working on drugs to increase your longevity, your diabetes and cancer risks, your eat-to-beat cancer strategy can be improved by the knowledge that sirutins are crucial and they can be significantly stimulated by resveratrol.

The latest and most important study from the NIA, Harvard and the 13 worldwide centres, enhanced all these antiageing findings. Crucially, it seems keep you living younger, longer! And importantly for the overweight and obese, it seems to cancel out the negative effects of a poor diet as the benefits were equal whether the mice were on a normal diet or a calorie-rich one!!

Specific conclusions included:

• Resveratrol supplementation improves cardiovascular health and reduces fatty changes in the liver.
• Resveratrol supplementation prevented age- and obesity-related decline in cardiovascular function.
• Resveratrol supplementation significantly lowered total cholesterol and inflammation.
• Resveratrol supplementation increased the functioning of blood vessels significantly.
• Resveratrol supplementation seemed to result in better bone health 
• Resveratrol supplementation reduced cataract formation, and enhanced balance and motor coordination

 Click here more about sertuin from Prof David Sinclair

Dementia and Alzheimers

One of the biggest problems in Alzheimers is the build up of beta-amyloid peptides which destroy brain cells. A moderate red wine consumption has been found to correlate with lowered risk of Alzheimers. According to the University of Basel in a study on cell cultures resveratrol increases cell viability through offering neuro-protective and anti-oxidative benefits by enhancing the free-radical scavenger glutathione.

Macular Degeneration

A disease that is increasingly common in the elderly, macular degeneration seems to be caused by the action of free radicals on the retinal repair cells, Research from the Food Group at Ohio State University (R. King) has shown that resveratrol can combat this.

Heart Disease

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The World Health Organisation has suggested that resveratrol can reduce cardiovascular risks by up to 40 per cent. It blocks platelet stickiness by blocking the aggregating factors, it prevents oxidation of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and reduces tri-glyceride and cholesterol levels. Most importantly, it appears to reduce tension levels and can relax and dilate the arteries.

Anti-cancer properties

Apart from the anti-cancer benefits mentioned above:

1. MD Anderson have researched resveratrol extensively and shown in a number of studies that resveratrol can be a potent force as a preventive and chemotherapy agent. They concluded that it suppresses cell proliferation in a wide variety of tumour cells, including lymphoid and myeloid cancers; multiple myeloma; cancers of the breast, prostate, stomach, colon, pancreas, and thyroid; melanoma; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; ovarian carcinoma; and cervical carcinoma. They have found it to work at a number of levels, for example suppressing enzyme and protein production, suppressing cytokine production, suppressing Cox-2 and the formation of bad eicosanoids, stimulating glutathione, and blocking various carcinogenic processes. It seems to concentrate in the liver and kidneys and is converted to a sulphated form which then blocks the process of cancer at a number of stages. They have even found it to have therapeutic effects. It can block the damaging effects of a linoleic acid-rich diet. MD Anderson  have concluded that it has a huge potential for fighting cancer and it can also improve the success rates of chemotherapy, appearing safe even in high doses
2. In studies with breast cancer and astrocytoma (brain tumour) cells, resveratrol has been shown to induce cancer cell death (apoptosis) via p53 pathways. P53 is the gene that repairs DNA. (Laux MT, Cornell University)
3. In studies with resveratrol and curcumin (Anticancer Research 2004 March), these two natural compounds seem to stop tumour cell growth and induce cancer cell death in neuroblastomas by activating the p53 gene pathway.
4. In a study of gliomas (Brain tumours) using rats (Clin Cancer Res. 2004; Mar) a concentration of resveratrol at 40 mgs per kilogram of body weight per day increased survival rate, by exerting an anti-tumour effect and an anti-vascular effect. It was concluded that the natural compound is a potent chemotherapy agent.
5. In studies on Neuroblastomas (brain tumours) in mice resveratrol appears to stop cellular proliferation, and alters the cellular structure of the tumour cells leading to cell death. It exerted clear ant-tumour effects (Surgery, 2004, July)
6. MD Anderson looked into resveratrol in combination with genistein for their effects with prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is driven through an Androgen Receptor pathway, and these two natural compounds suppressed the pathway at high concentrations. Alabama University have concluded in tests on mice that it can be hugely protective against prostate cancer development, and also with female mice and breast cancer.
7. An Austrian study showed that resveratrol could prevent metastasis forming in the bones, from primary tumours elsewhere.
8. New research suggests it could be an important help in fighting prostate cancer.
9. Previous research has shown that resveratrol can boost the effectiveness of prostate cancer chemotherapy. Research in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2011, concluded that resveratrol is a powerful ´chemosensitiser and it actually helps prostate tumours respond more effectively to chemotherapy treatment by enhancing signaling molecules. Resveratrol also seems to increase levels of proteins that fight malignant cells. Michael Nicholl, an assistant professor of oncology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, and his team have shown resveratrol has the same benefits if used with radiotherapy
10. The researchers found that resveratrol boosted levels of two naturally-occurring proteins: Perforin and granzyme B. Interestingly, these proteins can target any and all malignant cells throughout the body.

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