Harry J. Andersohn asked:


It’s amazing to me how one simple TV show — granted, one of the most respected and watched TV shows in the history of the planet — can quickly catapult a previously unknown product, person, or service into the stratosphere of popularity.

That’s exactly what happened when 60 Minutes did their story on the two researchers who finally were able to isolate the amazing component in red wine that is apparently responsible for so many of the health benefits that regular wine drinkers experience. This compound, known as Resveratrol, is now one of the hottest supplements on the market today.

While this is great, because if the studies on Resveratrol turn out to be even halfway accurate, a lot of people are going to experience some life-changing benefits pretty darn soon, all is not rosy in the world of Resveratrol proponents.

For one thing, its sheer sudden popularity has created a couple of big problems for people who want to start taking Resveratrol supplements right away.

For one thing, when a product completely takes off like this one has, a whole bunch of supplements manufacturers who really have no business getting involved in it, will basically put together an inferior product and slap a label on it and make some quick money before anyone figures out that what they’re selling is junk.

So when you’re looking for a place to buy Resveratrol supplements, you have to do your homework and be careful to make sure that what you’re getting is the real deal.

Second, when something is this popular and supplies are a bit limited, you’re going to start to find some companies that try and extract an exorbitant price from people who are desperate to have it.

Luckily, not all companies are this way. When I was researching this for a story over on my blog, I was able to find a couple resources for people who want to buy Resveratrol supplements, but who don’t want to pay an arm and a leg and who want to get a high-quality product.

In fact, I’m going to tell you about a couple resources where you can actually get Resveratrol supplements for free. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

First let’s talk about whether or not Resveratrol is right for you.

Let’s go over some of the health benefits that have been reported in the news media — including on that 60 Minutes story — and then you can decide whether or not it sounds like something that you could benefit from.

Resveratrol is basically being called a true fountain of youth. In tests in the lab, it seemed to actually halt or reverse the effects of aging. Pretty exciting, right? But that’s only part of the story.

Some other benefits that have been reported with Resveratrol include things like weight loss, improved stamina, increased metabolism, protection against cancer, and an improvement in the way your body copes with cholesterol.

So with all that evidence is Resveratrol right for you?

Well, here’s what I’d suggest — why not try it and see for yourself if the benefits that people are talking about actually happen?

Remember, I said above that you can get the stuff for free. So it will cost you hardly anything to try it, and you can put it to the test for yourself.

Valerie Rosenbaum asked:


Advising people about the best food sources for resveratrol has been difficult, because the amount that is present in foods varies greatly. Grape skins, primarily darkly colored skins, as opposed to white, have the highest concentration. But, the content depends on the geographic origin and the grapes’ exposure to fungal infections.

You see, resveratrol, like other plant antioxidants, is actually one of the plant’s natural defenses against disease. If the plant is not exposed to disease, there are lower concentrations of antioxidants. This is seen when comparing organic foods to those grown by modern mass-production methods.

On big farms, plants are protected from pathogens through the use of bug spray, weed killer and other techniques. Because of that, the plant’s natural defense mechanisms do not develop. So, you might say that the best food sources for resveratrol are organic grapes that are red or darker in color, because organic farming practices do not allow for the use of herbicides or other synthetic compounds. But still, the content would vary, as does the nutrient content of any fruit or vegetable.

When you read about the vitamin or mineral content of a fruit or vegetable, this is the average content. For example, a 3.5 ounce serving of red or green grapes provides, on the average, 10.8mg of vitamin C, 191mg of potassium, 20mg of phosphorous and 10mg of calcium. For resveratrol, no average content has been determined and it would not be listed on a bottle of grape juice or red wine, because it is not a vitamin or mineral that is essential to human health.

It is not possible to analyze the nutritional content of every fruit or vegetable, because analysis destroys the food. This is one concern that supports the necessity of daily nutritional supplements to support overall good health. No one really knows what nutrients or how much they are getting on a daily basis.

Supposing that red grapes are the best food sources for resveratrol, researchers have analyzed the content and found that it ranges from .24mg per cup to 1.25mg per cup. The content in boiled peanuts ranges from .32mg per cup to 1.28mg per cup. Since those two are very close, they could both be considered good sources of the nutrient.

If you like these foods, go ahead and eat them, but if you are looking for best food sources for resveratrol, because you have heard about the health benefits, don’t bother. Researchers originally thought that the resveratrol in red wine explained the French paradox, which is a lower than expected incidence of heart disease despite a diet that is high in fat. They have since shown that the small amount that is present in red wine could not explain the paradox. They say that it may be do to all of the nutrients, as well as the alcohol, that is present in red wine.

There is no doubt that resveratrol is beneficial to the heart and other systems of the body, especially when included in a complete multi-nutritional supplement. But, the best food sources for resveratrol are not believed to provide these benefits.