Callie Simmons asked:




Are you looking for that fountain of youth being promised by those who promote using resveratrol supplements? What does this age old antioxidant truly have that makes it desired and used by millions of people all over the world?

So many people are typing resveratrol into Google and looking for the answer to their ailment. But the question remains whether or not this supplement is truly that knight in shining armor you have been hearing about all over the news. You may have even seen Dr. Oz talk about it on the “Oprah” show!

This article seeks to explore the truth behind this red wine extract to find out if it is truly all it is cracked up to be. After all, there are some people who will make claims about products and they turn out to be all hype, right? Who wants to waste their money on those things?

Here is the scoop on resveratrol: the claims appear to be TRUE. Aside from doctors talking about it on TV, there are many other experts touting the amazing powers of this red wine derivative.

One exciting effect consumers are noticing with resveratrol supplements is the increase in metabolism allowing for faster weight loss. So many people want to lose extra fat, so using a natural supplement is often a great way to accomplish that.

Another great thing about resvertrol is the anti aging benefits that have been scientifically studied. Who doesn’t want to slow down the aging process? Everyone does!

In studies, resveratrol appears to help lower blood sugar and is an anti-inflammatory as well. It also has an anti-cancer affect, which is a huge discovery itself.

Because resveratrol can be found in the skins of grapes, you can imagine it would be quite hard to get all that you need in a day. This is why many people choose to take quality resveratrol supplements rather than trying to eat that much in one day.

Ron J Myers asked:




In the last few years, resveratrol has been been hyped as a near miracle substance for promoting health. Because of the hype, resveratrol supplements have become extremely popular. That popularity has caused a dramatic increase in resveratrol supplement sales as many people believe that resveratrol is the fountain of youth. But, is resveratrol the miracle substance that its proponents claim?

Resveratol was first discovered in 1940 when it was first isolated in the white hellebore plant. Until the early 1990’s, resveratrol went largely unnoticed, until scientist suspected that it might be the answer to the “French Paradox”. The “French Paradox” is the name given to the fact that the French have very low rates of heart disease, despite the fact that the typical French diet is very high in fat. At first, many scientist were at a loss to explain the “French Paradox”. As they began to analyze French dietary habits, scientist believed that red wine was the answer to the “French Paradox”. Since they believed that red wine saved the French from high rates of heart disease, scientist began to examine red wine more closely. Upon analyzing the chemical makeup of red wine, many scientist began to suspect that resveratrol was the key compound in red wine that saved the French from high rates of heart disease.

Since scientist first hypothesized that it was the explanation to the “French Paradox”, research into reseveratrol has continued. Much of the research has seemed to be very promising. But, what people must understand is that no reseveratrol research has been conducted on humans. At present, all the resveratrol research has been done on animals. Until research is done humans, no defininitive statements about the health promoting effects of resveratrol can be made. However, based on research done on animals, it is reasonable to hope that resveratrol will indeed be the fountain of youth that many people claim it to be.

In several studies done on animals, resveratrol has shown some remarkable properties. In 2003, Dr. David Sinclair found that resveratrol significantly increased the life span of both fruit flies and particular strains of yeast. In another study, resveratrol was shown to protect a group of mice from the ill health effects of obesity as a result of being fed a high fat diet. Other studies have shown that resveratrol helps to neutralize cancer cells and to fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

For those with weight issues and those with heart disease, the most exciting resveratrol reseach maybe the study that was conducted in Germany at the University of Ulm in 2008. In that study, two groups of human fat cells were analyzed. The first group was exposed to resveratrol. The second group was not. In the first group, the study found that the number of pre-fat cells decreased between 40 to 45 percent. In the second group, pre-fat cells more than doubled. In addition, it was found that the first group lost volume, effectively “slimming down” because of the exposure to resveratrol. The study at the University of Ulm tends to support the hypothesis that resveratrol is the answer to the “French Paradox”.

Currently, many scientist believe that resveratrol produces a similar effect to calorie restricted diets. Current research shows that calorie restricted diets prolong life. Calorie restricted diets stimulate the secretion of sirtuin. Sirtuin helps to metabolize fat. At present, many scientist believe that resveratrol also promotes the secretion of sirtuin, thus having an effect similar to calorie restricted diets. Research is still being done in this area.

At present, there is no hard proof that resveratrol supplements are beneficial to humans. However, preliminary research does give cause to believe that reseveratrol will be proven to be a substance beneficial to human health. In fact, there are some doctors who do, at present, recommend resveratrol supplements to their patients. Furthermore, there is no evidence that resveratrol supplements are harmful to humans.

In sum, buy resveratrol supplements if you want to. There is a good chance that you will benefit from taking them. But, understand that there is no definitive research that proves the health benefits of resveratrol, although preliminary research seems to be very promising.