Resveratrol

POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE FOR

• Hay fever. Using a nasal spray containing resveratrol three times daily for 4 weeks seems to reduce allergy symptoms in adults with seasonal allergies. Using a nasal spray containing resveratrol and beta-glucans three times daily for 2 months also seems to reduce allergy symptoms in children with seasonal allergies.
• Obesity. Taking resveratrol by mouth seems to increase weight loss in overweight and obese adults. But it doesn’t seem to improve blood pressure, glucose control, or levels of cholesterol and other fats.

BENEFITS OF RESVERATROL

It’s gained a lot of attention for its reported anti-aging and disease-fighting powers. Researchers have long believed that substances in red wine might have health benefits. Beginning in the 1990s, experts began to focus on resveratrol, an antioxidant compound in red wine. Since then, some animal and lab studies have shown that resveratrol has promising antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. It’s important to note that while experts agree that it does have potential, there’s still not enough data to confirm how well it works. Resveratrol supplements have not been well-studied in people. We don’t really know what benefits and risks they might have. We also don’t know if resveratrol is necessarily more important than some of the other natural substances in wine. Still, early research does suggest it might help protect you against:

• Heart disease: It’s thought to help reduce inflammation, lower LDL or “bad” cholesterol, and make it more difficult for clots to form that can lead to a heart attack.
• Cancer: It could limit the spread of cancer cells and start killing them.
• Alzheimer’s: It may protect nerve cells from damage and fight the plaque buildup that can lead to the disease.
• Diabetes: Resveratrol helps prevent insulin resistance, a condition in which the body becomes less sensitive to the blood sugar-lowering hormone insulin. The condition can lead to diabetes.

Researchers believe that resveratrol activates the SIRT1 gene. That gene is believed to protect the body against the effects of obesity and the diseases of aging.