Resveratrol - The wine’s power ingredient

Resveratrol is found primarily in grape skin although it can be extracted from other sources like Japanese knotweed, peanuts and eucalyptus. Some benefits of resveratrol consumption include, but are not limited to, weight loss, anti-aging and cancer prevention.

Resveratrol indirectly influences weight loss by speeding up the body’s metabolism. Aside from its anti-aging properties as a result of the increased metabolism in our bodies, resveratrol interacts with our cells on a molecular level. When this happens, an enzyme called SIRT1 is produced. SIRT1 is a contributing factor to the spawning of mitochondria. The mitochondria are responsible for storing and releasing energy in our cells. With these new mitochondria, the energy from the excess intake of food is burned by them instead of storing the energy in adipose tissue as fat. The body’s metabolism handles the rest by burning them in our daily activities.

Content in wines and grape juice (source: Wikipedia)

 Aside from weight loss, resveratrol also contributes to weight maintenance for those who don’t have problems with obesity. In theory, the metabolic boost you may get from resveratrol will maintain your body in a state of proper homeostasis. This doesn’t mean that you can go out and have an eating binge at the nearest pizza parlor though. Your daily calorie requirement would still be the same. Resveratrol only mimics the effect of a restricted calorie diet by making your body more efficient. Think of resveratrol as the oil that lubricates your digestive and cardiovascular system, not the fuel tank.  So once you’ve reached that ideal weight, you shouldn’t jeopardize your efforts by binging. Cholesterol is another problem that could be regulated by resveratrol. Resveratrol helps lower cholesterol. It is 10 to 20 times more potent than Vitamin E

 What about those who don’t have the luxury of drinking wine everyday? That’s where resveratrol supplements come in. Resveratrol supplements are readily available in the market. They may be called grape seed extract or Japanese knotweed extract because resveratrol is only the ingredient, not the total contents of the pill itself.

 Resveratrol is a very significant discovery. It promises a lot of benefits for good health. Weight loss is just one of them. It also proved to be a good cancer regulating agent, anti-inflammatory, and it reduces the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular disease. Don’t expect resveratrol to work on its own. Diet and exercise are still quite important in maintaining a healthy body so don’t skimp on them while taking the pills.

In the chapter containing the discussion of the French paradox, it highlighted on the “writing-off” of the effects of fats to our bodies because of the consumption of red wine. Hence, resveratrol. Aside from protecting our bodies from fat related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer, Resveratrol is also an active ingredient from another concept that treats fat as enemy: weight loss.

There were many reported studies about Resveratrol’s ability to cancel fat. One of the most famous stories is written below:

There were experimental mice which were fed a high fat and high calorie diet for a few days. After the first day, it was made to take resveratrol supplements. The other one wasn’t given resveratrol supplementation. After a few days, the one with supplement did not get to experience the organ damages that happened to the un-supplemented one. The experiment was carried on for a few more days and eventually, the one with supplement gained weight until it became overweight. However, even if it was overweight, its life lasted longer than the overweight, unsupplemented one. So that means taking resveratrol to shed off pounds does not just stop at shedding off of the pounds. It can also help us guard our lives and prolong them.

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