Healthy Energy

Resveratrol, an antioxidant compound found in red wine, is being talked about everywhere for its numerous health benefits. Multiple news reports have highlighted this new ‘wonder-supplement’ which is reported to have anti-aging properties, to improve heart health, to act as a powerful antioxidant and much more. Scientists around the world are finding new positive benefits of the supplement everyday – but what about the potential side effects of resveratrol?

Resveratrol is found in grapes which is why so much attention has been paid to the health benefits that go along with drinking red wine. However, the dosage in a glass of red wine is relatively small. The studies that are being done with this supplement are using much higher concentrations than you could get from a glass of wine.

In fact, one scientist said that to get the same benefits that were shown in his study you would need to drink 1000 bottles of wine a day! Obviously that isn’t practical. In answer to this, manufacturers have developed resveratrol supplements that allow you to take higher doses of the antioxidant without having to overdo it on wine.

Since the research being done on it is relatively new, the long term side effects of using resveratrol in humans still is not known. To date all of the results of the studies done with it are positive. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Drug Interactions

One of the most important things before you start taking any supplement is to talk to your doctor and make sure that it won’t interfere with any of the prescription medication that you are currently taking. For instance, resveratrol acts as a blood thinner so if you are already on a blood thinner it could thin your blood too much. Play it safe and check with your doctor first since he knows your medical history and pre-existing conditions.

Side Effects from Mega Doses

Studies done with volunteers who were taking large doses of resveratrol (500-1000 mg) had mild but reversible side effects including over thinning of the blood, diarrhea, headaches, anxiety and abnormal blood tests. To avoid these side effects you should start with a lower dose and work your way up to higher doses.

Estrogenic Activity

Resveratrol has mild estrogenic activity which hasn’t been fully studied in humans so it should be avoided if you have an estrogen-sensitive condition. Again, talk to your doctor to make sure that it is safe for you to take.

Pregnant Women & Children

Resveratrol should not be taken by women who are pregnant, lactating or trying to become pregnant. It also should not be taken by children.

Having said all that, resveratrol has been on the market in supplement form for many years and no serious side effects have been reported. At the same time, the positive benefits of this supplement are being talked about everywhere.

A new study finds that resveratrol, a substance in red wine and grapes, does in fact prevent the growth of fat cells in number. This is as opposed to reduction in size where the size of cells can be reduced by dieting or restriction of sugars. The results spell good news for dieters because the reduction of fat cells in number has long been only achieved by liposuction.

German researchers tested a strain of human fat cell precursors that develop into mature fat cells in the body (pre-adipocytes) to find out if resveratrol would change the size and function of human cells. The study showed that resveratrol did indeed change the function of these cells in that it prevented the cells from growing into mature fat cells!

“Resveratrol has anti-obesity properties by exerting its effects directly on the fat cells,” Pamela Fischer-Posovszky, the head researcher of the study said. “Thus, resveratrol might help to prevent development of obesity or might be suited to treating obesity.”

The study also showed that resveratrol slowed or stopped fat storage and reduced the production of interleukins 6 and 8, substances that may be linked to the development of diabetes. Resveratrol also stimulates a certain protein, adiponectin, that is known to decrease the risk of having heart attacks

Researchers have previously found that resveratrol protected mice from health problems related to obesity when they were fed a high calorie diet. Resveratrol has also been shown to mimic calorie restriction in monkeys and turn on a sort of “survival mechanism” causing the animals to appear and act younger than control animals (animals not given resveratrol supplements) of the same age.

Results found in the study:

• Reduces Fat Cells in Number
• Stops Growth of New Fat Cells
• Slows or Stops Fat Storage
• Reduces Production of Compounds Linked to Diabetes

This information is consistent with the long held belief that the “French Paradox” is explained by resveratrol in the wine consumed by the French population. The French Paradox springs from the fact that French people, who eat a very high fat diet, have low death rates from heart disease.

Although cautioning that the long term effects have yet to be determined, Fischer-Posovszky said that a study has already shown that a single dose of 5000 milligrams of resveratrol had no ill effects in volunteers. Detailed results will be presented at The Endocrine Society’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
The study was funded partially by the German Research Association (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) and the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts (Ministerium fuer Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst), Baden-Wuerttemberg.

By now you’ve probably heard of resveratrol and all that it has to offer in terms of extraordinary health benefits. One health benefit in particular is resveratrol’s ability to act as a natural aid to weight loss. This is what is being advertised anyway. However, as you know sometimes what is advertised isn’t always what you can expect from a product especially when concerning the weight loss industry.

This is why I have decided to write and in depth article for you explaining the science behind resveratrol and weight loss (don’t worry, I won’t bore you). So, if you really do want to know if there is anything to this natural supplement and its ability to aid fat loss then keep on reading. You might just be startled by what I’ve discovered through my extensive research…

Is There Anything To Resveratrol And Weight Loss?

You came to this article in hopes of finding out more about this natural supplement and its ability to aid in fat loss so I’m going to give you exactly what you want. In this section I’ll be giving a little background knowledge about this supplement which may or may not prove its effectiveness in terms of a fat loss aid.

I am happy to report that this natural aid is in fact effective in terms of losing weight. How do I know? Well, though my research I have found that there have actually been clinical studies done on resveratrol and its effects on weight loss and general health. In these studies it was found that resveratrol produced many health benefits including anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, blood-sugar-lowering and many other cardiovascular effects.

As you can see, this natural aid is the real deal when it comes to delivering many exciting health benefits. However, even knowing resveratrol’s ability to produce these health benefits we still don’t know exactly how it can help us lose weight. Ok, let me be a bit more specific. You don’t know how it can help with the weight loss process. I do. Keep on reading to see what I found out…

This Is How Resveratrol Helps You Lose Weight…

As I mentioned in the previous section, this organic supplement offers a ton of benefits in terms of health and well being. However, I also said that this still fails to explain how it can be used for weight loss purposes. And this is exactly what I’ll be covering in this section. Below you’ll find an easy to read list of the characteristics of resveratrol which make it a perfect candidate for a weight loss aid.

1) Increased Metabolism

The first way in which this organic supplement can help you lose those pounds is by speeding up your metabolism. If you don’t already know, metabolism plays a HUGE role in determining your overall weight loss success. A faster metabolism means that your body is processing and breaking anything you consume at a fast rate. Basically, you metabolism dictates how much energy and fat your body burns while you aren’t doing anything.

2) Increased Energy Levels

The second way in which resveratrol helps with weight loss is by increasing your energy levels. By taking this organic aid you will be left feeling much more energized and ready do more. While this can help the most with exercise it can also help tremendously with your overall lifestyle. If you aren’t feeling energized then you aren’t going to be willing to do much of anything. You know what I am talking about, that feeling of “bla”.

3) Appetite Suppressant

The last important characteristic which helps make resveratrol and perfect solution for weight loss is its ability to suppress your appetite. Appetite suppressants have been around for years and to this day remain to be one of the best natural weight loss supplements. Why? Because by curbing your appetite you will be a lot less likely to binge. Even better, you are going to eat less in general which means you will be consuming less calories in general.

Why Use Resveratrol For Weight Loss?

If you’ve read everything up until this point then I’m sure you can see why this organic supplement is an overall excellent option for increasing your health and well being. Seriously, there are very few health products available that offer as many benefits as this one.

With that said, if you do plan on purchasing this health supplement then I recommend you find a reliable guide before doing so. What I mean by a guide is a resource that takes you by the hand and makes purchasing the best product possible as easy as possible.

The three best sources of resveratrol are red wine, japanese knotweed and peanuts. At least, those are the natural sources. There are also some fantastic supplements that feature resveratrol – but all of them derive their resveratrol from one of the above three.

Red wine is full of resveratrol, well not full per se. In fact, it’s not like you could evaporate the wine and have a pile of resveratrol sitting there. But the great thing about wine is the way you drink it. Normally, you pour some in your wine glass and sip at it. And then once it’s in your mouth, it actually sits there for a second before swallowing it. What makes this great is that resveratrol is best absorbed in the mouth. This extra second gives the resveratrol a chance to get absorbed into the blood right away. So even if there’s not tons of resveratrol in wine, it gets absorbed much better than supplements and other sources.

A more obscure source of resveratrol is Japanese Knotweed. This is obscure if you’ve not been exposed to it, but to some people there’s nothing obscure about it. It just so happens Japanese Knotweed is one of those invasive weeds that you can’t kill. In fact it’s listed as an invasive plant by more than 13 states. But what makes it invasive is also what makes it good. Because it can grow anywhere, resveratrol supplement manufacturers use it as their resveratrol source. It just so happens, that it’s also quite edible and is used in the North East as a substitute for rhubarb.

Finally, on our list of three best sources of resveratrol, is peanuts. Yep, the kind that grown in the ground. Peanuts are a great source of resveratrol. While you may think they’re fatty and unhealthy, did you know that people who regularly ate peanuts had a lower body fat index than the rest of us? So the next time you’re sitting at the bar, ask for some peanuts so you can fill good about being there.

In 2006 new research was published regarding resveratrol health benefits. It concluded that resveratrol benefits included improving overall health and protecting against health related issues that exist because of diets high in fat.

These studies were done to show the overall effectiveness as well as highlight the benefits of resveratrol. The health benefits of resveratrol include protecting against diets which are high in fat, weight loss properties, and a range of aging properties.

Resveratrol can be naturally found in red wine, peanuts, and even grape juice. All of this was discovered by experimenting on middle aged male mice.

The main experiment was completed with three sets of mice. Once basic control group, one group with a high fat diet, and one group with a high fat diet along with high doses of resveratrol.

The group of mice that were solely on a high fat diet gained weight and the group of mice that were on a high fat diet along with receiving the resveratrol benefits showed zero signs of insulin resistance or fatty livers, both of which were common in the group solely on a fatty diet. This group which received resveratrol also lived much longer and had a much higher level of energy.

These benefits have been credited as the foundation of the French Paradox. It is a common occurrence for all French peoples to drink a glass of red wine with each meal. It was then discovered that the French also are much less likely to have heart disease regardless of a high fat diet.

Having a glass of red wine with your meals is the same as a .5% dose of resveratrol that was received by mice in the experiments. Even though the experiment was done only on mice it is very safe to be taken by humans as well. You can get the health benefits in both supplemental doses and concentrated doses.

By eating one meal a day that is high in fat can significantly add to the bad cholesterol that is in your body and steadily decrease your health over a period of time. This is where the resveratrol benefits can help. They will help improve your health over the long run.

The resvertrol health benefits are similar to restricting your caloric intake. Benefits of resveratrol keep both the heart and skin from aging as quickly. This naturally occurring antioxidant that is the key to slowing down the aging process as well as create a barrier against disease.

Ever since 60 Minutes profiled two scientists who had discovered and isolated the active component in red wine responsible for so many of its health benefits, there’s been a downright feeding frenzy among people who want to buy Resveratrol.

(This has led to a whole host of problems for people who want to buy Resveratrol supplements, and it means that you have to be extra careful in where you order it from. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself — we’ll cover this important topic in a minute.)

Resveratrol supplements are, in fact, one of the hottest supplements on the market today. It’s certainly not hard to see why. According to the story that ran on 60 Minutes, studies showed that mice who were given Resveratrol supplements actually seemed to reverse in age.

Now, I’m not saying that they actually got younger — that would be silly. But if you watch that video (and I’ll tell you where you can see it in a second) you’ll see that they gave them entire batteries of tests and the ones who were given Resveratrol performed better on physical and mental challenges across the board.

This actually led to a lot of very reputable news organizations extolling the benefits of Resveratrol, and even caused a major U.S. pharmaceutical company to buy out the company of the researchers who discovered the component.

So yes, Resveratrol is a pretty big deal, and if the scientists who worked on isolating the component are right — and many studies suggest that they are — this could be a major breakthrough for anyone who wants to look and feel younger, but who doesn’t have hours upon hours to work out at the gym every day.

There are lots of other benefits that have been reported with Resveratrol that go beyond just things like weight loss and increased physical stamina. A lot of people say that it’s also helpful for increasing metabolism, improving the way your body deals with cholesterol, and it may help protect you against cancer.

Okay, now, with all of this evidence and all of this interest in what Resveratrol can do for you, it might seem like a no-brainer to go out and start taking it, right?

Well, that’s for you to decide. But what I will say is that if you want to be among the many thousands who are doing it, it’s very important that you stick with a Resveratrol supplement that you know is high-quality.