This is a natural ingredient belonging to a group of substances called polyphenols. It can be extracted from red grapes’ skin, blueberries and several other similar berries. It has high antioxidant capacities. This means it can help us fight against oxidative stress that causes chronical diseases like heart diseases and cancer. It is also useful for detoxification purposes and can be a great support in our fight against aging. Resveratrol can improve our overall well-being. Let’s find out how it works and what ailments it can treat.

How can Resveratrol Improve Human Health?

Both supplementation and natural forms of Resveratrol have proven beneficial effects on the human heart. One study case reflects that supports this conclusion regards French diet. Although the French exposes themselves to multiple risk factors for heart conditions such as fats, coffee or smoke, they actually report a low rate of correlated ailments. The regular consumption of red wine which ensures sufficient amounts of Resveratrol is believed to be the cause.

Here are the key factors why you can keep heart diseases at a distance with Resveratrol:

  • This supplement lowers the blood pressure
  • Ensures low levels of blood sugar
  • Prevents blood clots formation
  • Can stabilize triglyceride levels
  • It can reduce the level of LDL, alias bad cholesterol
  • Resveratrol is believed to reduce inflammation
  • It can help regulate the circulatory function

Although all these effects have been tested, most of the clinical studies have been conducted on animal subjects. We don’t have sufficient human trials to support the efficiency of this element as a supplement.

Disease-fighting Capacities and Anti-aging Effects

Resveratrol is a rich source of antioxidants. It can promote people’s health by preventing cell damage caused by oxidative stress. Many external factors such as unhealthy fats, pollution, smoke, alcohol or even UV rays cell damage because they help produce free radicals. What antioxidants do is counteracting the effects of free radicals. Thus they protect the body from chronical illnesses. Preliminary results show that it can prevent cancer cells from spreading, but more research is still required. Another effect is preventing our body from aging prematurely.

Brain Health Benefits

Due to its antioxidant capacities, Resveratrol is also an effective brain booster. High levels of antioxidants are required for an optimal brain functioning. Supplementation might prevent neurodegenerative development by reducing the harmful plaques which cause Alzheimer’s disease.

Diabetes and Weight Control

Clinical studies conducted on mice have proven Resveratrol’s efficiency in weight control. In their case supplementation lead to a reduction of body mass. This is especially useful for patients who suffer from obesity and diabetes. Another positive result shows the supplements’ ability to reduce insulin resistance, a common cause that leads to diabetes.

What are the side effects and precautions?

There are no studies to support significant side effects of Resveratrol supplementation.

This is considered a safe supplement, however, cautious is recommended in the following situations:

  • Patients who take blood thinner medication
  • People who are about to sit a surgical intervention should avoid Resveratrol because of an increased bleeding risk
  • Women with estrogen sensitivity
  • Pregnant women and nursing mothers. There isn’t sufficient proof that supplementation is 100% safe during these periods.
  • Children shouldn’t take this supplement

Conclusion

Resveratrol is an effective dietary supplementation that can alleviate certain symptoms related to the conditions we previously mentioned. It is also beneficial to healthy patients who need a cognitive boost. However, it is not intended to cure any ailment and should be taken with cautious by chronical disease patients.

Resources:

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Resveratrol. National Institute on Aging. https://www.nia.nih.gov/newsroom/topics/resveratrol. Published 2016. Accessed October 3, 2016.
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How Resveratrol May Fight Aging. National Institutes of Health (NIH). https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/how-resveratrol-may-fight-aging. Published May 13, 2015. Accessed October 3, 2016.
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The Grape Antioxidant Resveratrol for Skin Disorders: Promise, Prospects, and Challenges. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3060966/. Published 2016. Accessed October 3, 2016.
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Resveratrol: MedlinePlus suplementos. medlineplus.gov. https://medlineplus.gov/spanish/druginfo/natural/307.html. Published 2016. Accessed October 3, 2016.