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ACTA-RESERVATROL

Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound found in various berries (cranberry, blueberry, grapes) and herbs. Studies with trans-resveratrol have reported a diverse range of benefits in the areas of heart health, immunity and inflammation. Research has also revealed that trans-resveratrol mimics the biological longevity effects of a calorie-restricted diet.

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 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.