Polyphenols
are compounds known to have antioxidant functions that protect the
body from several damages, such as the very common stroke and cancer.
A member of this plant compound group is resveratrol – found in red
grapes’ skin, berries and peanuts.
Resveratrol
is famous to have so much benefits for the body. It’s not at all
surprising, therefore, that so many manufacturers have been making
money out of supplements from this compound. Capsules of this
compound sold in the US have extracts obtained from Chinese and
Japanese knotweed plant. Some supplements are made from extracts from
red grapes and even from red wine.
Resveratrol
has been getting a lot of attention lately. Mostly, people have been
using it because it has anti-aging benefits, as well as because it’s
a good fight against a lot of diseases. Scientific studies made on
animals suggest that the said compound can help prevent heart
diseases, cancer, Alzheimer’s and even diabetes.
Resveratrol
reduces inflammation, thus preventing the oxidation of the bad
cholesterol. It also makes it challenging for platelets to stick to
each other and form clots that lead to heart attack. Cancer is
prevented by resveratrol by triggering apoptosis or cell death,
consequently limiting the spread of cancer cells in the body.
Resveratrol, even more so, protects nerve cells, thus lowering the
chances of Alzheimer’s disease. Insulin resistance is prevented. In
that way, the body’s sensitivity to hormones that lower blood pressure is lessened.
Studies
on rodents have, furthermore, proven that resveratrol increases one’s
life-span. Mice that were treated with the compound lived longer than
the control group. Obesity-related problems have also been observed
to improve.
On the
downside, even though it has lots of benefits, resveratrol still has
some side effects. For instance, it’s interesting how all of the
benefit studies have been done on animals only. It’s still not
absolute if the same effects can be expected on humans. Long-term
effects on the compounds are not known, as well. So far though, it’s
comforting to know that there still are no extreme side effects even
if people take the compound in large amounts. However, it must be
noted that interaction of resveratrol with blood thinners and
nonsteroidal medications increase the likelihood of bleeding.
Resveratrol,
just like most supplements, is not regulated by FDA so getting a
bottle doesn’t exactly assure safety and effectiveness of the
compound. There is also no dosage recommendation, which makes the
usage of the supplement even vaguer. As a
whole, it is refreshing to know that there exists such compound
that’s got so much potential to improve health and cosmetics.
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