The Untold Secrets to Making the Best Resveratrol

It never fails. Within a year or two after a few popular media shows on a health benefit, there will be dozens if not hundreds of sites trying to take advantage of the publicity. The last few years there have been several major stories in both the print media and on TV by Oprah, Mike Wallace and Barbara Walters on the health benefits of resveratrol. As predicted, there are now multitudes of sites claiming that they make the best resveratrol.  

Why do we care?  

The story line on many of these shows has to do with the "French Paradox." The French have traditionally had the highest fat, highest calorie diets that scientists have been able to  find. But instead of collapsing daily in the streets from cardiac arrest they live longer and have less heart disease than anyone in the Western world.  

It gets better. The French are also true lovers of red wine, typically drinking 1-2 glasses per meal. Adding alcohol to already suspect diets makes the paradox even stranger. The explanation is that the wine contains some natural antioxidants but has one in particular called resveratrol that we've known about for about 70 years.  

What has been discovered in the last few years is that besides its antioxidant properties it also stimulates a gene called Sirt 1 which is from the Sirtuin enzyme family. Sirt 1 in combination with the antioxidants seems to slow down our aging process, reduce cholesterol and  fight various cancers along with other health benefits.  

Unfortunately, just adding red wine to our diets isn't going to help much. Due to modern farming practices the antioxidants in red wine have dropped drastically over the years. By the way, this is true for the nutrients in most fruits and vegetables around the world. You now will get only about 1-2 mg of resveratrol per bottle. People are now looking to get the  benefits through supplementation which is where the sites I mentioned in the first paragraph come to play.  

What is the best resveratrol?  

Not all supplements are alike. Let's discuss the differences.  

1] There are 2 types: natural [trans] and synthetic [cis].  

2] Potencies range from 5% to 50% of active ingredients. Most supplement companies prefer not to tell you their percentages or if it is trans or cis.  

3] Prices for larger doses [100mg to 500mg] range from $25 to $40 for a 1 month supply. There is no proof that these huge doses offer any real benefits over more modest amounts. Remember, anything over 100 mg is equivalent to drinking 20-30 bottles of red wine per day. The French love their wine, but not that much.  

4] Nothing works in isolation. The source of red wine is red grapes. They have numerous other nutrients in them like Vitamins A, E and C, calcium and magnesium and folic acid. Higher doses in one doesn't mean your body will absorb it.  

5] Your supplement should have an enteric coating which allows the more sensitive antioxidants and amino acids to reach your small intestine. Otherwise, your stomach acid will greatly reduce their absorption rate.  

In conclusion, the best resveratrol is a natural, high potency version in low doses combined with other nutrients and antioxidants.