Is Resveratrol Really the Fountain of Youth in a Pill? By Nancy Hirsch, CN

Researchers have known for years that reducing daily intake of calories dramatically slows down the aging process and extends lifespan in laboratory animals. This regimen is called calorie restriction, and it has been shown to protect mice from cancer, diabetes and other age-related diseases. It does this by producing changes in gene expression that are associated with long life.

Scientists have found recently that resveratrol, a very potent antioxidant compound found in red wine, grapes and peanuts, is able to act in a similar way without having to reduce one's intake of food.

In a study published in Cell Metabolism, mice were given resveratrol while consuming twice as many calories as normal and still lost weight. It's important to note that this research was done on mice, not humans, and further studies still need to be done to see if the results apply to humans as well.

So how does resveratrol work?

There are enzymes in the body called sirtuins (silent information regulator proteins) that act as protection for cells and enhance their survival. These sirtuins have been shown to increase DNA stability and speed cellular repair.

"We think sirtuins buy cells time to repair damage," says molecular biologist David Sinclair, Assistant Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and co-author of the study. It is believed that the self-destruction of cancer cells, a process known as apoptosis, is activated by resveratrol.

Because natural medicines cannot be patented, Sirtris, a biopharmaceutical company is now trying to create and patent resveratrol metabolites. In other words, they are trying to extract certain components from resveratrol and make them into a patentable commercial variation of the original form. Sirtris is claiming that the modified resveratrol molecule, called SRT501 is 1,000 times more powerful than the supplement one can purchase in a health food store.

Because all of the studies have not yet been completed, it would be best for consumers to choose those resveratrol supplements already available in most health food stores. Resveratrol in high doses may not be advisable and a moderate dosage is best, especially when trying a new supplement. Scientists at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine have found that combined levels of grape polyphenols, like those found in resveratrol supplements, provide much more potent healing power than do isolated compounds, even at much lower doses.

Therefore, resveratrol sold in stores would offer a broader base of potential health benefits, because one would be consuming the whole compound and not an isolated extract.