I have huge news for you. Its about one of my favorite nutrients. Turns out you just might be able to have your cake and eat it too — and I mean literally.
Just when you think the news about resveratrol cant get better, it does. Researchers have found that this incredible plant-made chemical combats obesity and aging. They conducted the study at Harvard and on mice. But the benefits are very likely to spill over into humans. Our hormonal and energy physiology are virtually the same. I think you will agree with me that resveratrol is one powerful nutrient.
The new study (Nature, online 11-1-06) set out to determine the effects of resveratrol on overfed mice. Researchers took three groups of middle-aged mice (52 weeks old). They fed the mice either: a standard mouse diet, a high-calorie (fat) diet, or a high-calorie (fat) diet supplemented with resveratrol.
By 60 weeks of age, the mice fed resveratrol enjoyed a three to four month lifespan advantage compared to the high- calorie group without the nutrient. (That is huge for mice!) By old age, 114 weeks, 50% of the high-calorie mice had died compared to only 33% in the resveratrol group.
You know that insulin resistance is a major cause of premature aging and death. The high-calorie mice had increased insulin production, insulin-like growth factor (possible cancer promoter), and glucose levels as expected. Their levels of these aging markers were higher than the fat mice that also received resveratrol. Sound good? It gets even better.
The researchers studied the heart tissues of all three groups. Compared to the high-calorie alone group, there were far less fatty lesions, degeneration, and inflammation in both the standard diet group and the group taking resveratrol. But the degeneration and inflammation were even better in the resveratrol group than the standard diet on a degeneration scorecard. The high-calorie group (no resveratrol) scored 3.2. The regular diet group scored 1.6. And the high-fat diet supplemented with resveratrol scored the best at 1.2.
Rafael de Cabo, Ph.D., from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), virtually admitted that you can have your cake and eat it too. After six months, resveratrol essentially prevented most of the negative effects of the high-calorie diet.
In essence, resveratrol has the ability to fool the body into thinking its getting a low-calorie diet. It does so without any negative side effects. And plenty of positive side effects. Calorie restriction reduces the hormone of aging and death — insulin. Resveratrol seems to provide the same benefit as calorie restriction even when you overeat!
How much should you take? In one study, the mice were given the amount that might be found in 750-1,500 bottles of red wine. Can you get that much resveratrol without drinking all that wine? You sure can. My calculations suggest that 1,000 bottles of red wine will contain about 400 mg of resveratrol. Most supplements are in the 50-100 mg range. I do not think you need 400 mg. I think one capsule twice daily will get you about everything you need, unless, of course you are eating a mostly fat diet. Then you might want to take more (up to four capsules daily).