Resveratrol Health Benefits

Resveratrol Health Benefits – How wine can benefit your health

Food Sources for Resveratrol

Resveratrol is found in grapes, wine, grape juice, peanuts, and berries of Vaccinum species, including blueberries, bilberries, and cranberries . In grapes, resveratrol is found only in the skins. The amount of resveratrol in grape skins varies with the grape cultivar, its geographic origin, and exposure to fungal infection. The amount of fermentation time a wine spends in contact with grape skins is an important determinant of its resveratrol content. Consequently, white and rosé wines generally contain less resveratrol than red wines. Red or purple grape juices may also be good sources of resveratrol. The predominant form of resveratrol in grapes and grape juice is trans-resveratrol glucoside (trans-piceid), but wines also contain significant amounts of resveratrol aglycones, thought to be the result of sugar cleavage during fermentation. Many wines also contain significant amounts of cis-resveratrol , which may be produced during fermentation or released from viniferins (resveratrol polymers) . Red wine is a relatively rich source of resveratrol, but other polyphenols are present in red wine at considerably higher concentrations than resveratrol (see the separate article on Flavonoids) . The total resveratrol content of some beverages and foods are listed in the tables below. These values should be considered approximate since the resveratrol content of foods and beverages can vary considerably.

Resveratrol is a natural superior antioxidant compound found in an abundance in red grapes (mainly the skins), grape seed extract, red wine, Japanese Knotweed, peanuts and some berries. A new study has also discovered that significant levels of resveratrol can also be found in cocoa powder and dark chocolate.
Amounts of reservatrol in a bottle of red wine can vary depending on the growing season and the types of grapes the wine comes from. However nearly all the darker red wines (especially Pinot Nior, Merlot, Cabernet and Shiraz) contain far higher amounts of resveratrol than what white wines or grape juice does.

Unfortunately if you were to claim the daily benefits of resveratrol by drinking red wine you would need to consume quite a few bottles which is not really advisable. Resveratrol comes in two forms, cis-resveratrol and trans-resveratrol.

Resveratrol Cancer Benefits

In 1997, Jang reported that topical resveratrol applications prevented skin cancer development in mice treated with a carcinogen. There have since been dozens of studies of the anti-cancer activity of resveratrol in animal models. No results of human clinical trials for cancer have been reported. However, clinical trials to investigate the effects on colon cancer and melanoma (skin cancer) are currently recruiting patients.

In vitro resveratrol interacts with multiple molecular targets (see the mechanisms of action), and has positive effects on the cells of breast, skin, gastric, colon, esophageal, prostate, and pancreatic cancer, and leukemia. However, the study of pharmacokinetics of resveratrol in humans concluded that even high doses of resveratrol might be insufficient to achieve resveratrol concentrations required for the systemic prevention of cancer. This is consistent with the results from the animal cancer models, which indicate that the in vivo effectiveness of resveratrol is limited by its poor systemic bioavailability. The strongest evidence of anti-cancer action of resveratrol exists for tumors it can come into direct contact with, such as skin and gastrointestinal tract tumors. For other cancers, the evidence is uncertain, even if massive doses of resveratrol are used.

How is red wine healthy?

Research studies on the heart-health benefits of red wine have reported mixed results. Some studies show that red wine seems to have even more heart-health benefits than other types of alcohol, while other studies show that red wine isn’t any better than beer, white wine or liquor for heart health. There’s still no clear evidence yet that red wine is superior to other forms of alcohol when it comes to possible heart-health benefits.

The studies supporting red wine suggest antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. These antioxidants come in two main forms: flavonoids and nonflavonoids.

• Flavonoids. These antioxidants are found in a variety of foods, including oranges, grape juice, apples, onions, tea and cocoa. Other types of alcohol, such as white wine and beer, contain small amounts, too, but red wine has higher levels.

• Nonflavonoids. These antioxidants found in red wine have recently been of particular interest because they appear to help prevent arteries from becoming clogged with fatty blockages. However, these studies mostly involved mice — not humans. Resveratrol is the nonflavonoid that’s received the most attention from researchers.

Some research shows that resveratrol could be linked to a reduced risk of inflammation and blood clotting, both of which can lead to heart disease. More research is needed before it’s known whether resveratrol was the cause for the reduced risk

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