Do You Really Need High Potency Resveratrol

I am shocked when I see the claims for high potency resveratrol. I have seen supplement manufacturers advertising daily doses in the 250mg to 500mg range at a cost of around $25 to $45 for a one month supply. Not only do some of them make extravagant promises in order to justify their prices, they won't provide any real evidence to support their claims.

Why are there so many supplements?

The main reason is that there are numerous benefits to adding resveratrol to your diet; that and they are trying to take advantage of all the recent publicity. Lets review the timeline to see how we got to our current over promoted situation.

Resveratrol is found mainly in red grape skins and seeds and by extension red wine; it is also a member of the flavonoid family. This group is what gives fruits and vegetables their distinctive colors and flavors. Plants use them to resist molds and fungi. The benefits to humans are that flavonoids are powerful antioxidants that fight the unpleasant side effects of our bodies natural oxidation. To better understand the process, watch a red apple turn brown. It is losing its antioxidants. Oxidation does something similar to our bodies as we age. It was thought for years that grape skins contained was just another powerful anti-disease substance which is true. It lowers the "bad" cholesterol LDL, inhibits blood clotting and strokes, and has strong anticancer properties.

Is there more?

Things have gotten interesting the past few years. Several studies between 2003 and 2006 showed that high potency resveratrol increased the lifespan of various non-vertebrates like yeasts and worms. In 2006 an Italian study added the first vertebrate to the list [a fish] and later that year a Harvard study verified the results but with mammals.

Subsequently, a study from BioMarker pharmaceuticals showed similar anti-aging results in mammals but with an important difference -- much lower doses.

How does it work?

Research into the mechanisms are still continuing but in effect what resveratrol does is make our bodies think we are consuming fewer calories even if we are not. This imitation stimulates a whole series of cellular events that results in increased DNA repair and a general slowdown of the aging process. The combination of the antioxidant power and the anti-aging benefits is why there are so many companies promoting the supplements.

Caution!

In Aug of 2009, Oprah's legal team and one of her frequent guests, Dr Mehmet Oz of Columbia University, jointly sued over 50 supplement suppliers for fraud. A Forbes.com investigative article even found one Florida company charging a recurring monthly billing of $85.26 per month after the 30 day free trial expired.

However, many scientists do believe that there are real benefits to red grapes, wine and the nutrients in them. The best way to access them is not with high potency resveratrol tablets but in a balanced supplement containing lower doses combined with all the other vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that allow it to work.