Resveratrol, what is it and what can it do to increase your health?
You may have heard of resveratrol lately in the news. It’s an ingredient found in the skins of grapes, especially in temperate climates like France. For years scientists have been studying the French and their ability to live longer, healthier lives. This appears to be because of the amount of wine they drink throughout their lives, which also contains the wonder antioxidant resveratrol. Many people are familiar with the term, but not quite sure what it can help do for them with moderate supplemental use.
The antioxidant comes in many types, for both males and females. Ranging from capsules, tablets and even skin creams it can help increase blood flow, repair damaged cells from skin cancers and even increase your life span with a balanced diet and regular exercise plan. The new wonder drug has been featured on many international news programs. That’s because this supplement isn’t only fiction, it does actually work and is backed by some big names, both in and out of Hollywood.
Scientists aren’t completely sure why resveratrol works, or even how it works, but it has been shown to cause drastic changes, for the better, in laboratory tests involving mice. The potent formulas found in many of the products offered today that contain this ingredient have helped mice reduce the damage done by skin cancers, and lengthened their life spans. We know that mice are very similar to humans in genetic makeup, only a few DNA strands away so the link to humans is a near fact. Combine this with the fact that the people of France do indeed tend to live longer, all while eating rich diets full of fats and drink lots of wine and one has to wonder what it could be.
This relatively new antioxidant is the center of attention for all the leading health magazines, tv networks and radio programs. All of them with fascinating accounts of how it has helped various people around the country. Just turn on your TV or Radio and you’ll hear the results for yourself. The reason that resveratrol is so popular is because more and more people are enjoying the effects it causes for them and their health, and realizing that this isn’t some snake oil product like many of the other pills or capsules you see available. Products containing resveratrol, will actually work if you follow the directions and already lead a somewhat healthy lifestyle, which we almost all do.
Whether you like to drink copious amounts of red wine, or take the simple route as many Americans are doing lately and ingest this new wonder drug resveratrol through easy supplements to your regular diet, you will be better off and live a healthier, better life. This of course is all because of some antioxidants found in grape skins, but not green grapes only red grapes. So, if you’re looking for wine, make sure it’s of the red variety. If not, why not try one of the other products available that are much cheaper and better for your system without the unnecessary hangovers the next day.
What can Resveratrol supplements and skin creams do for Skin Cancer?
Because all scientists on earth know that human beings will be unable to stay out of the sun, visit the beach or enjoy a day in the park they are continually looking for new ways to mitigate the chances we get skin cancer. Especially the damage caused to the skin from regular non cancer causing exposure to the sun and its ultraviolet radiation which is nearly unavoidable no matter how on tries is under investigation. The thing to worry about with exposure to the sun, while it feels great and helps deliver vitamins to our body, is the UVB element of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Recently a study performed by the University of Wisconsin, examined the potential of using resveratrol as a chemo-preventive agent, which looked into proving that its properties would help protect against UVB skin damage.
The more UVB rays you receive, the more changes you will develop skin cancer at some point in life increases. At the University, it was researched as to what effect would be gained by applying a resveratrol supplement cream topically to areas of damaged skin on hairless mice during day long exposures to UVB rays.
The University Scientists studied the effects on survivin. This is a key element in controlling the division of cells in our skin. It’s a structurally unique portion of our apoptosis inhibitor proteins family. Survivin is usually overexposed when it comes to human cancers most often found. However, it’s absent in a normal adults tissue, which means that it’s theorized to be a zone to concentrate on when looking for cutting edge anti-cancer treatments.
The experiment found that using a resveratrol supplement rich skin treatment helped to significantly lower the regulation of protein expression of survivin, not to mention drastically lowered UVB exposure to the mice. Lead researcher in the project, Dr. Nihal Ahmad, even publically stated that he was very happy to see that resveratrol was indeed able to “modulate multiple signaling in the cells, which actually protects the skin cells from damages that may lead to the development of cancer.” Then Dr Ahmad went on to suggest that other teams should begin conducting more research into the effects that resveratrol can have on skin cancers within skin care products, combined with regular healthy eating habits.
Resveratrol significantly slowed UVB-mediated increases in skin thickness and edema; ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) enzyme and protein levels; epidermal cyclooxygenase (COX-2); and protein levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which are all known markers for cancerous tumor promotion. Resveratrol was also found to also heighten stimulation of UVB-mediated augmentation in p53 protein levels and was shown to retard UVB exposure-mediated increases in cell cycle promoting signals including the activation of cell division.
The promising research from the University of Wisconsin shows that resveratrol can help decline UVB related skin cancer significantly. This is good news because lately there have been a lot of new products on the market that contain this wonder ingredient originally found in French red wine. From creams to capsules there are a variety of ways you can take resveratrol supplements to help reverse the aging process.