Resveratrol segment on 60 Minutes.... now isn't that

[HysteryDiagnosis]

special. They are preaching some pretty heavy duty yarns about resveratrol. No doubt it is all pure bs.

Oh great, our resident quackwatch dude is on the job. Of course everything stated on 60 Minutes contradicts Dr. Quack.



http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/resveratrol.html
The Bottom Line

Laboratory tests have clearly demonstrated that resveratrol may help prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, there are several reasons why recommending a population-wide increase would be premature.

* First, little is known about the absorption and clearance of resveratrol, the identities of its metabolic products, or its effects on the liver <5>. A study in rats showed that resveratrol is absorbed in the gut and has a high affinity for the heart and liver <13,14>.
* Second, the research on resveratrol has focused on its short-term effects <2> and has been dominated by in vitro studies on non-human models.
* Third, its role as a potentiator of breast carcinomas may significantly limit its use, even for its "proven" benefits.
* Finally, its main dietary source is red wine. Not only is its concentration in wine extremely variable, but recommending increased consumption of red wine to boost resveratrol intake could certainly do more harm than good. In spite of any beneficial aspects, red wine and other alcoholic beverages pose health risks that include liver damage and physical addiction.

[MichiganVote]

1. Sounds like more fun to drink the wine

[WheelWalker]

10. Yes, with a dash

of immune booster.

[elocs]

2. So I just heard that 9 out of 10 drugs tested on mice do not work on humans.

I'm pretty healthy for 56 and don't take any prescribed pills, but I have absolutely no desire to live to be 100.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. The French may sometimes behave like them but I assure you

they are not mice.

[Mike 03]

3. What about grape seed extract? I've been taking that for ten years. It costs a fortune

so, naturally, it would be appreciated if it were doing something.

:blush:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Grape seed extract is (hopefully) a combination of proanthocyanidins

polyphenols and so forth. They are beneficial in their own right and I hope the research continues to prove out the benefits of these molecules. Pine Bark Extract, the real deal, patented by Horphag Ltd. in Denmark I want to say is really where you want to go.... BUT finding it at the most affordable price may be done at the vitaminshoppe online.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_paradox
Procyanidins and polyphenols

Although research continues on resveratrol, the concentration in wine seems too low to account for the French paradox. Professor Roger Corder and team have identified a particular group of polyphenols, known as oligomeric procyanidins, which they believe offer the greatest degree of protection to human blood-vessel cells. Tests with 165 wines showed that these are found in greatest concentration in European red wines from certain areas, which correlates with longevity in those regions.<13> The highest procyanidins are found in wines from the Tannat grape, grown in the Gers area of southwest France.

Unlike resveratrol, procyanidins are present in wine in quantities that seem to be high enough to be significant: "Procyanidins are the most abundant flavonoid polyphenols in red wine – up to one gram per litre is found in some traditional style red wines."<14> "… clinical trials of grape seed extract, which have shown that 200–300 mg per day will lower blood pressure. Two small glasses (125 ml glass) of a procyanidin-rich red wine, such as a Madiran wine from southwest France, would provide this amount." However several times this amount of procyanidin can be consumed by eating an apple.<15>

Other research suggests that polyphenols in wine reduce the absorption of malondialdehyde, which is implicated in arteriosclerosis, cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

[tabatha]

7. How about red grape juice?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. I have absolutely no idea.... the usual yardstick is the darker the

pigment of the fruit the more beneficial... not sure about the red grape juice or how its processed. The processing of wine "may" allow content from the seeds to enter the mix.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. Hey Mike.... go here and read... and it sounds

like you are paying way too much for your grape seed extract with the tears and all.

Click on Media, then Research Library. Enjoy.


www.pycnogenol.com

[tabatha]

8. Try iherb.com.

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. I can also recommend iherb.com, having been using them for years.

They have very very low prices.
I worked at a health food store years back. The usual markup for herbs can be 200%.
A bottle which costs 28.00 at a "health food store" was priced at 5.00 at iherb.

They carry the major herb companies, plus the German Monograph E which outlines which herbs have proved to be useful ( in Europe, esp France and Germany, thing s like St. John's Wort and other herbs are routinely used by doctors).

[Windy]

11. Don't you think he may have a point? n/t

[HysteryDiagnosis]

14. Who? Dr. Quack?? No. I found plenty of misrepresentations

and half truths in his stuff years ago.

[baldguy]

12. And the researchers just sold out to Glaxo for $1B.

Now isn't that special?

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. If this is what I think it is.... they are selling out what exactly??

If they think they can OWN something in NATURE that already does what it needs to do... well it gives me one of those big WTF moments.... that is all.

[cosmik debris]

16. Gee, has it been tested on humans?

Remember the last time I asked that question?

You can change your screen name, but you can't escape "0fer18"

[trotsky]

17. 0fer18 will live in eternal infamy!

"A study in rats showed that resveratrol (sic) is absorbed in the gut and has a high affinity for the heart and liver"

Shit, even if something helps, if it accumulates in two of the most important organs of the body that's a bad, bad thing.

[hedgehog]

18. I believe the intitial premise has never been proven: that a high

fat diet causes heart disease.

The story is this; high fat diets cause heart disease, the French have a high fat diet but no heart disease, therefore something is protecting them from heart disease, Eureka!, it must be red wine, therefore this substance found in red wine protects from heart disease and all else that ails mankind!

What if the real story is that the French don't eat as many simple carbohydrates as Americans, or walk more, or relax more, etc?

[semillama]

19. Or, what if it's the berets? n/t

[hedgehog]

20. Maybe they all die from cirrhosis before they get heart attacks?

Noticing correlations is where you begin by making a hypothesis and then devising experiments to test the hypothesis. It is not proof of causation!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

21. What if all of these papers are true?

http://www.pycnogenol.com/media/media_research_library.php


1: Nutr Res. 2008 Nov;28(11):729-37.Links
Cardioprotective actions of grape polyphenols.
Leifert WR, Abeywardena MY.

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Division of Human Nutrition, PO Box 10041, Adelaide BC, SA 5000, Australia. [e-mail]

The aim of this review is to discuss the accumulating evidence that suggests that grape extracts and purified grape polyphenols possess a diverse array of biological actions and may be beneficial in the prevention of some inflammatory-mediated diseases including cardiovascular disease. The active components from grape extracts, which include the grape seed, grape skin, and grape juice, that have been identified thus far include polyphenols such as resveratrol, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, and flavonoids. All possess potent antioxidant properties and have been shown to decrease low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol oxidation and platelet aggregation. These compounds also possess a range of additional cardioprotective and vasoprotective properties including antiatherosclerotic, antiarrhythmic, and vasorelaxation actions.

Although not exclusive, antioxidant properties of grape polyphenols are likely to be central to their mechanism(s) of action, which also include cellular signaling mechanisms and interactions at the genomic level. This review discusses some of the evidence favoring the consumption of grape extracts rich in polyphenols in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Consumption of grape and grape extracts and/or grape products such as red wine may be beneficial in preventing the development of chronic degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease.


1: J Med Food. 2008 Dec;11(4):610-4.Click here to read Links
Beneficial effects of resveratrol on atherosclerosis.
Fan E, Zhang L, Jiang S, Bai Y.

College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tian Jin, People's Republic of China. [e-mail]

Atherosclerosis, a progressive disease characterized by the accumulation of lipids and fibrous elements in the arteries, is a most important contributor to cardiovascular diseases. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring phytopolyphenol compound and shows the ability to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. In this review, beneficial effects of resveratrol on the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, including regulation of vasodilator and vasoconstrictor production, inhibition of oxidative stress/reactive oxygen species generation, anti-inflammation, inhibition of modification of low-density lipoproteins, anti-platelet aggregation, and its abilities to impede progression and modulate complications of atherosclerosis, are discussed.


1: Curr Med Chem. 2008;15(19):1887-98.Click here to read Links
Trans-resveratrol: a magical elixir of eternal youth?
Orallo F.

Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela (La Coruña), Spain. [e-mail]

Trans-resveratrol or (E)-resveratrol <3,4',5 trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, t-RESV or (E)-RESV> is a natural component of Vitis vinifera L. (Vitaceae), abundant in the skin of grapes (but not in the flesh) and in the leaf epidermis and present in wines (especially red wines). In in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo experiments, t-RESV exhibits a number of biological activities, including anti inflammatory, antioxidant, platelet antiaggregatory and anticarcinogenic properties, and modulation of lipoprotein metabolism. Some of these activities have been implicated in the cardiovascular protective effects attributed to t-RESV and to red wine.

Prior to 2002 there had been no previous studies describing the potential effects of t-RESV on the lifespan extension. However, in the last 5 years, several researchers have reported that t-RESV is a potent activator of sirtuin enzymatic activity, mimics the beneficial effects of caloric restriction (CR), retards the aging process and increases longevity in a number of organisms from different phyla such as yeasts, worms, flies and short-lived fish. In addition, t-RESV seems to be effective in delaying the onset of a variety of age-related diseases in mammals (e.g.: rodents). Therefore, this review will basically focus on the possible role of t-RESV to extend life duration and on some of the mechanisms by which t-RESV may act as an anti-aging agent.