Is resveratrol the key to anti-aging

What is resveratrol?

Resveratrol is a naturally-occurring polyphenol antioxidant that is found in some plant products like grapes and cocoa.  It is categorized as a phytoalexin, an antimicrobial compound that is produced by plants to protect them from rough environments like excessive ultraviolet light, infections and climate changes.  Resveratrol has been linked to protection against obesity and diabetes, a reduced risk for blood clotting and a way to lower "bad" LDL cholesterol, due to the compound's ability to dilate blood vessels, increase nitric oxide and block the stickiness of platelets.

What has anti-aging research shown about this antioxidant?

A major branch of anti-aging research centers on the effects of calorie restriction, which can send cells into a crisis mode that prompts them to repair damage and stave off hazardous changes in cellular activity.  Resveratrol provokes similar reactions.  There have already been promising results in some trials with implications for cancer, cardiovascular disease and cardiac failure, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, fatty liver disease, cataracts, osteoporosis, muscle wasting, sleep disorders and inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis, arthritis and colitis.

What is SIRT1?

These enzymes are thought to be involved in DNA repair, inflammation, circadian clocks, and the creation of mitochondria, the power plants of the cell.  Increasing the activity of sirtuins has been shown in some animal experiments to lengthen lifespan—though not in humans.  SIRT1 is switched on naturally by calorie restriction and exercise, but it can also be enhanced through activators.  The most common naturally-occurring activator is resveratrol, which is found in small quantities in red wine, but synthetic activators with much stronger activity are already being developed.

So does red wine really help us fight aging?  

The compound resveratrol that's found in red wine does provide anti-aging benefits according to anti-aging research.  Notable work from Harvard promises that a single anti-aging enzyme in the body can be targeted, with the potential to prevent age-related diseases and extend lifespans. Of course, further studies should investigate if resveratrol can help people who are already healthy.  While any drug would be strictly prescribed for certain conditions, researchers believe that one day, they could be taken orally as a preventative.  They could therefore be used in the same way as statin drugs are commonly prescribed to prevent, instead of simply treating, cardiovascular disease.

Don’t stock up on red wine just yet.  Previous estimates show that you would have to drink hundreds of bottles of red wine to get the amount of resveratrol that would deliver noticeable health benefits, so don’t rush out to purchase it in bulk!