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Resveratrol has recently attracted great interest in connection with the the so-called “French Paradox” which has long puzzled medical science. As a polyphenol type flavonoid it is in any case a very useful anti-oxidant, but many now believe it also to be the explanation of the relatively low rates of cardiovascular disease enjoyed in France despite a national diet traditionally rich in cholesterol and saturated fat. The French, of course, are also known as high per capita consumers of alcohol, particularly in the form of red wine.
Recent research appears to have established that the consumption of alcohol in moderation offers significant protection for the cardiovascular system, and may even reduce the incidence of related diseases by as much as 30%. There is good evidence, however, that the resveratrol which is almost unique to red wine may provide benefits which go far beyond those which can be explained by the effects of the alcohol alone.
This is not surprising in so far as fat-soluble anti-oxidants are known to be important protectors of the circulatory system against damaging attack from free radicals, and the resveratrol and other polyphenols found in red wine are likely to be highly beneficial in this context. Laboratory research, moreover, has revealed significant anti-inflammatory and blood anti-coagulant effects arising from the action of resveratrol.
But there’s still more to
resveratrol than this. It’s known that some
potentially harmful compounds in the body do not become
carcinogenic unless and until they are metabolised by particular
enzymes. Resveratrol has been shown in some laboratory
research to help inhibit the activity of these enzymes and it
seems possible that resveratrol may therefore have some
protective effect against certain cancers.
Resveratrol has also been shown in
the laboratory to slow the proliferation of DNA damaged cells,
which have the potential to become cancerous, and to allow time
for the repair or removal of DNA damaged cells before rapid and
harmful proliferation can occur. Invasive cancer tumours
depend on specialised enzymes to allow them to take over healthy
tissue and also need to establish their own blood supply if they
are to develop. Resveratrol has been found in the
laboratory to have inhibiting effects on both these processes,
perhaps principally because of its anti-inflammatory qualities.
Orthodox opinion, however, currently
maintains that more large scale trials are required outside the
laboratory before any protective effects of resveratrol against
cancer can be definitively established.
But the anti-inflammatory properties
of resveratrol may also have a significant protective effect in
the battle against atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), a
significant precursor of serious cardiovascular disease.
Resveratrol has also been shown to play an important role in
preventing the formation of the blood clots which if they
obstruct a coronary or cerebral artery may lead to a heart attack
or stroke, two of the leading causes of premature death or
disability in the affluent Western world.
And amazingly enough it appears that
resveratrol may also have a more direct effect in terms of
increasing longevity. A good deal of research has shown
that reduced calorie intake may increase lifespans, including
those of certain mammalian species, apparently by increasing the
activity of specific enzymes. Resveratrol has also been
shown to stimulate these enzymes and to enhance the life spans of
worms and fruit flies. It is not known whether these
findings would be replicated in higher life forms, humans
included, but there seems no logical reason why they should not.
To obtain a significant intake of
this potentially highly beneficial compound from wine you need to
concentrate on red wine, because only this is produced by a pulp
fermentation including the red or black grape skins where most of
the resveratrol is found. As a rule of thumb, the
richer and darker the colour of the wine, the longer the pulp
fermentation will have lasted, and the more resveratrol and other
polyphenols the wine will contain. Generally speaking
it is those produced in the sunnier latitudes which will have the
highest concentration.
No toxicity issues have been reported
from the intake of resveratrol, as such, although problems of
course may arise if red wine is used to excess to achieve a
desired high intake. Supplements of resveratrol providing
up to 50 mg are now readily available, however; whilst moderate
consumption of alcohol is now generally recognised as potential
boon to health, and to be particularly protective of the
cardiovascular system. So there seems to be every
reason to continue to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine of an
evening. And your enjoyment can only be increased by the
awareness that the resveratrol it contains may well be doing your
health a power of good.
Steve Smith
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