Resveratrol & Red Wine Extend Life 46%
A Harvard Medical School professor says “The red wine chemical resveratrol extends the life of every organism we give it to.”
Dramatic human proof of this comes from reports of a 46% longer life span in Burgundy France. High levels of resveratrol are found in the grape skins of the Burgundy red grapes. Burgundy is a tough growing climate environment and grapes that survive here have especially high resveratrol content. The Monrovian purple grape appears to have 25 times more resveratrol than other grapes.
Here is a Reuter’s news report coming from researchers at Brown University and the University of Connecticut: “What we have done is to find the molecules that potentially extend the life spans of people, not just their health spans”.
Resveratrol is a buzz word in health science research. In the past 10 years over 500 medical research studies were performed. These studies consistently demonstrate that life expectancy can be increased an estimated 25 to 35 years.
How does resveratrol work? It stimulates a longevity gene. This triggers a defense enzyme that increases the individual’s ability to repair itself.
Oxidative damage is the chief cause of destructive aging and resveratrol is also a powerful antioxidant that helps prevent this.
By preventing oxidative damage the genetic code (DNA) is preserved from a more rapid, age related destruction.
It is also interesting that in Sardinia Italy they have one of the highest life expectancies in the world. They consume a little red wine daily from an early age.
Red wine consumption is not an excuse to overindulge and create the health hazards of increased cardiovascular risk and cirrhosis of the liver. Resveratrol supplements are appearing in health food stores and supplement sources.
What are the health benefits that resveratrol researchers are finding?
” Reduced heart attacks
” Less damage from strokes
” Improved cognition
” Less fat accumulation
” Enhanced immune system against viruses
” Reduced cancers
” Youthful endurance and physical activity
” Youthful appearance
Recent animal studies show that increasing the levels of resveratrol increases the number of mitochondria inside all cells of the body. The significance of this is th
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at mitochondria are the energy factories for individual cells.
One benefit of increasing the number of mitochondria is the reduction of fat. The more efficient the energy production, the more efficient the fat burn by these energy factories.
The second benefit of increased resveratrol is activation of the longevity gene. (This is clearly proven by longevity studies on humans). Where there are high levels of resveratrol, long term, this means as much as a 46% increase in life expectancy…as was shown in Burgundy, France.
This longevity gene, SIRT1, promotes better glucose and insulin control which translates into more energy and less fat gain and diabetes.
According to Dr. Mark Stengler in his Bottom Line Natural Healing Newsletter of January 09, metabolism and weight control greatly benefit from resveratrol.
Much current research is now being done. Preliminary studies show two areas of why longevity is extended. The first is believed due to the activity of the longevity gene, SIRT1; it is stimulated and activated. The second is co-related to oxidative damage…the mother of all degenerative diseases.
Robb and others in their research on the biochemistry and biophysics (published in that journal) found a 14 fold increase in the activity of MnSOD (SOD2). The significance of this is that it reduces oxidative damage due to free radicals. (loose electrons). This inhibits heart disease, cancer and all the other inflammatory, degenerative diseases that shorten your life.
SOD2 confers resistance to mitochondrial dysfunction and thereby directly helps heart strength. The mitochondria are the energy factories in all cells. The heart muscle needs at least 4 to 5 times the amount of energy that other cells need. Heart failure is reduced as well as definitely reducing the inflammatory effect of the free radicals.
Heart failure, due to lack of energy from the mitochondria, plus inflammatory atherosclerosis, are the primary factors in heart disease. Resveratrol enormously reduces heart disease. Resveratrol is the most plausible reason for increased life expectancy. (It inhibits other degenerative diseases, thereby also extending longevity)
In animal studies, mice fed unhealthy fats and free radical damaging diets, confirm that indeed oxidative damage was reduced by resveratrol and life expectancy was increased. In other words, in spite of a lousy diet with exposure to free radicals, the resveratrol supplemented mice lived longer and had more physical endurance.
All degenerative diseases benefit from the reduction of free radicals; they are paramount to all degenerative diseases. A heart healthy diet and good supplements make sense for staying healthy and living longer.
The dramatic extension of longevity has caused the phenomenon in Burgundy to be called the “French Paradox”. It is a paradox because of the high fat, poor diet consumed by the Burgundy residents; yet they have a better cardiovascular health than most Westerners…residents of the U.S.A.
Some scientists began to question is resveratrol alone the full cause of increased longevity? It turns out there is evidence of another factor.
Dr. Jay Rowen, M.D. reports in his June 2009 newsletter, Second Opinion, that there appears to another factor in the red wine that contributes to longevity. It comes to light from research done at the University of California in Davis. Dr. Andrew Waterhouse, professor there, reports that ingredients called saponins are not only present in the resveratrol but also in the wine itself. They come from the wax in the wine skins.
Research shows that the saponins are plant sterols that are similar to cholesterol but are not harmful, but helpful to your health in two ways. They substitute for the cholesterol, hindering accumulation of it in the arteries and they are antioxidants that reduce inflammation. Antioxidants reduce free radical damage that affects your DNA and genetic cod
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e. Damaged DNA produces sick cells that lead to all kinds of degenerative diseases.
Dr. Stengler quotes a colleague, Carrie Doenell, N.D., this: “Energy and weight loss improve in 75% of those taking supplemental resveratrol.” Researcher, Dr. Doenell recommends taking 125 mg of resveratrol daily as a preventative measure.
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Dr. Van Loan gathers health information from over 17 sources (newsletters, websites & published books) on the latest research about alternatives that are cost effective and proven better for health than mainstream drug treatments. Numerous well controlled studies are cited in his writings. He has websites and blogs on heart disease and migraine headaches. Blog on heart health: naturalhealthsecrets.ws Website: www.heart-disease-risk.com
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If you are in the market for fine French wine and food, you should consider the world-famous Bordeaux region of southwestern France. You may find a bargain, and I hope that you’ll enjoy yourself on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a red Merlot from an internationally renowned producer.
Among France’s eleven wine-growing regions Bordeaux ranks first in acreage with about 50% more land devoted to vineyards than the second-place Rhone Valley. But it’s more than just a question of acreage and volume. Bordeaux is widely considered as one of the top wine producing regions of the entire earth and has been for centuries. The wine reviewed below comes from the Pomerol area on the right bank of the Garonne River, which divides Bordeaux in two.
Bordeaux produces over seventy million cases of wine per year, about 85% red, 12 white, and the rest rose. That works out to more than two million cases of rose wine per year. I don’t remember ever tasting a Bordeaux rose. I promise to deal with this problem later in the series. There are more than twenty two thousand vineyards in Bordeaux covering about 280 thousand acres, which works out to somewhat less than 13 acres per vineyard. Approximately one half of the vineyards produce wine, and in total about 6000 properties produce and sell their own wine, while the rest sell their wine through cooperatives. Bordeaux boasts about 60 different wine appellations ranging from fair-to-middling to world class with plenty in between. Some Bordeaux wine classifications date back to 1855 and have barely changed since, except that Baron Rothschild was able to get his best wine promoted from Second Cru (second growth) to Premier Cru (First Growth). Those in the know say that his Chateau Lafitte definitely deserves this honor. We intend to review some fairly top-notch Bordeaux wines sooner or later. In the meantime the wine reviewed below is very affordable. Interestingly enough, its noble cousin, Chateau Petrus, crafted by the same producer with the same grape in the same area holds no prestigious classification. However, Chateau Petrus is definitely world class and comes with a price to match, if the wine merchant will even look at your money.
It may surprise you but Merlot is the most important Bordeaux red grape. Cabernet Sauvignon comes in a distant second. We’ll talk about the remaining important Bordeaux red grape varieties elsewhere in this series. The major white grapes are Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Pomerol is a small, rural region of Bordeaux that produces only red wine. Its major grape varieties are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
Pomerol’s main tourist attractions are the wine chateaux. You may be surprised but the world famous Chateau Petrus doesn’t look all that great. The most attractive Chateaux are Chateau Nenin and Vieux Chateau Certan but even they are far from spectacular. As the famous phrase goes, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Of course the Bordeaux region is brimming with sights to see which will be described in the appropriate articles.
Before reviewing the Bordeaux wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Gravette Huitres (Oysters from the Arcachon Bay). For your second course savor Lamproie au Pomerol (Eels cooked in Red Wine and Chocolate). And as dessert indulge yourself with Cannelles de Bordeaux (“Portable Creme Brulee).
OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.
Wine Reviewed Moueix Merlot 2003 12.3% about $13.00
Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. No one knows Merlot better than Christian Moueix, owner of the world famous Chateau Petrus. Year after year, his wines define Merlot. Soft and round with aromas of raspberry, cedar and blueberry, this wine delivers ripe fruit, great balance and a medium long finish. It’s magic with veal medallions and sauteed mushrooms, or baked pasta.
My first pairing was with turkey meatballs, potatoes, and sauteed vegetables in a moderately spicy tomato sauce. This wine was round and full-bodied. It was quite long with pleasant acidity but overpowered the meat. The Merlot’s taste improved after I ate some potatoes. When I finished the glass after the meal, the wine was quite rich and I started tasting blackberries.
My next meal consisted of slow-cooked beef stew and potatoes with a somewhat spicy sauce and two rather spicy side salads. The wine was full-bodied and agreeably acidic, tasting of plums and black cherries. Once again I enjoyed finishing the glass after the meal. The spices were intensified. I can only imagine what its famous cousin, Chateau Petrus, would taste like but at forty times the cost (or more), I can only imagine.
The final meal included hamburgers, rice, cauliflower and red peppers in a tomato sauce. The sauce should have been enlivened by Harissa, a Moroccan hot pepper spice that turned out to be fairly weak. The Merlot tasted of dark fruits and tobacco with a bit of black pepper. The only downside was that the wine was not long.
As always, the cheese tastings came last. I started with a Palet de Chevre, which is a goat’s milk cheese from the Poitou Charentes region of central-western France. Honestly, if I didn’t know that it was a goat’s milk cheese I never would have guessed. It simply looked and tasted like a slightly runny Camembert. The combination was almost OK, but deadened the wine’s flavor somewhat. Cheese number two was a Gruyere from Switzerland. The wine bounced back in the Gruyere’s presence, but frankly was too good for the cheese.
Final verdict. No doubt about it; I want this wine again. And should the day come that I’ll buy its noble cousin, Chateau Petrus, I’ll still be buying this wine.
About The Author
Levi Reiss has authored, alone or with others, ten computer and Internet books, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine French or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and the right people. He teaches various and sundry computer classes in an Ontario French-language community college. His main travel website is http://www.travelitalytravel.com which links to his other web sites.
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Tags: growing wine grapes