Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound found in various berries (cranberry, blueberry, grapes) and herbs. Acta-Resveratrol provides antioxidants and other factors for the maintenance of good health
Suggested Use
Take 1 capsule daily with food or as directed by a qualified health care practitioner. Do not use if pregnant or nursing.
Cautions
Consult a health care practitioner for use beyond 6 weeks, and/or if you are taking phenytoin. Some people may experience headaches.
There is no doubt that many among us, in the context of dinner-party banter or some other setting conducive to the transfer of anecdotal wisdom, have heard that a glass of wine a day is good for your health. ‘A healthy heart and a long life' is usually the jist of this particular nugget of scientifically secular populist enlightenment. The long life that is inferred is attributable to a substance that the scientifically observant elite have identified as resveratrol, a phytonutrient originating -in this case - in the vinyards. Resveratrol, in turn, elicits this wondrous effect largely by mimicking many of the biological chain of events seen in the practice of Calorie Restriction Optimum Nutrition (CRON), or simply Caloric Restriction (CR).
Caloric Restriction (CR) is the only proven method of increasing life span in numerous and diverse species, from yeast, worms, fruit flies, spiders, rodents, all the way up to primates. Calorie restriction refers to an approximately 40% reduction in caloric intake, usually accompanied by a maintenance level of nutrients. The institutions that have conducted this research include Cornell and Harvard University, as well as the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - testimony to the credibility behind Caloric Restriction. This research has branched out to encompass the study of ‘caloric restriction mimetics'. These are compounds that enable organisms to parallel many of the beneficial biological effects of a caloric restriction diet, and among the most prominent of these is a substance known as resveratrol. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenolic compound found in various berries (cranberry, blueberry, grapes), peanuts, rhubarb and a number of oriental herbs including the Japanese Giant Knotweed (Polygunum cuspidatum). Studies with resveratrol have reported a diverse range of physiological and biochemical effects, particularly in the areas of heart health, cancer, immunity and inflammation. Other beneficial cardiovascular effects include the reduction of cholesterol and triglycerides, dilation of blood vessels (hence a blood pressure lowering effect), platelets being less "sticky" (anti-aggregatory effect) - and consequently a lower incidence of atheroma or plaque formation and a reduced rate of strokes and heart attacks. Resveratrol exerts anti-oxidant effects by quenching free radicals (including reactive oxygen species) that act as cellular terrorists, reducing the oxidation of LDL particles, which many believe to be the initiating event in atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries. Resveratrol also inhibits unfavourable cellular proliferation and up-regulates apoptosis or programmed cell death.
Resveratrol has been shown to down-regulate the production of chemicals (cytokines) involved in the cause, signaling and amplification of inflammation. Resveratrol's anti-cancer effects have been shown to occur at all three stages of cancer - initiation, promotion and progression. Prevention of blood flow to the tumour (angiogenesis) restricting the growth and spread of the cancer cells and inhibition of various enzymes involved (e.g. cyclooxygenses or ornithine decarboxylase) have been attributed to resveratrol. Finally, the modulation of the activity of the two groups of enzymes - Phase 1 and Phase 2 - also plays an important role in the detoxification and anti-cancer effects of resveratrol. The Phase 1 family of enzymes normally makes compounds more carcinogenic or toxic and resveratrol has an inhibiting effect on them, thereby preventing carcinogen formation. Alternatively, stimulation of the Phase 2 class of enzymes help facilitate the removal of toxins and carcinogens from the body by making these compounds even more soluble and easier for excretion.
The plants that produce resveratrol do so as a response to stressors such as fungal infection or ultra violet exposure. Resveratrol has been shown to enhance life extension much like caloric restriction in yeast (70%), worms (18%), fruit flies (30%), and fish (60%). The mechanism may be similar to sirtuin activation. There is considerable excitement regarding the use of resveratrol as a CR Mimetic. A recent study published in the prestigious journal Nature jointly by Harvard University and the National Institute of Aging demonstrated that resveratrol in high doses offset the effects of an unhealthy high-calorie diet in mice. Resveratrol is a molecule that occurs in nature in two forms or as mirror-images, namely the trans and cis forms. It is the trans version of the resveratrol that is the active form that has been used in all the investigations. The cis form may be at best inactive or at worst inhibit the activity of its mirror image - the trans form. There are high quality, naturally extracted sources that yield 98% plus trans activity.
As we conclude, we are reminded of the ‘one glass of wine a day for longer life' anecdote. In order to obtain the substance identified as responsible for this effect in amounts that are commensurate with even the most conservative trials, one needs to consume approximately 1,000 glasses of red wine each day! A noble goal for some, but perhaps one capsule containing enough resveratrol to equal that found in approximately 100 glasses of red wine might be a more practical start.