Is Trans Resveratrol the First Anti-Aging Breakthrough?

The scientific field focused on delaying the aging process is relatively new, with few truly credible results under its belt. By its nature, the components and substances that it conducts tests on take years to yield results. One of the possible active ingredients with real potential and real studies to back it up is trans resveratrol.

Resveratrol is a natural substance found in varying concentrations in several species of dark berries. Among edible plants, the highest naturally occurring concentration of it is found in the skin of grapes. This has led to products based on it being referred to as "grape pills." While the amount present in grapes is high, it has a much higher presence in Japanese knotweed, which has been used in Eastern medicinal practices for centuries. In lab studies, trans resveratrol - a more stable variant of the chemical - is used.

As an anti aging supplement ingredient, resveratrol is believed to have one core effect. The Department of Pathology of the Harvard Medical School conducted a study and published the results in 2004, showing that caloric restriction caused an extension in lifespan for yeast cells, and the possibility that it might produce the same effect in humans. The data was based on the use of compounds that activated the sirtuin gene, believed to regulate a natural response that mimics the effects of a calorie-restricted diet.

One study can be easy to dismiss in the scientific community, and is hardly a proper indicator for the potential uses of a substance like trans resveratrol. However, an Italian study conducted in 2006 agrees with the data from the Harvard study. Scuola Normale Superiore, an Italian research lab, used pure resveratrol for its study on prolonging the lifespan of some vertebrates like mice. The results showed that with regular doses, the life expectancy could be increased by up to 2.5 years. When adapted to humans, doses of pure resveratrol could yield a life extension of up to 30%.

BIOMOL Research Laboratories, a firm in Pennsylvania, also found data showing that adding resveratrol supplements to the diet of short-lived species could prolong their lifespan. The study cited previous findings from the National Institute of Aging and the National Institutes of Health on the efficacy of caloric restriction in prolonging lifespan. The BIOMOL data found that trans resveratrol could trigger sirtuin, a genetic marker that is believed to be responsible for regulating the body's responses when engaging in the caloric restriction diet.

Caloric restriction, whether triggered by trans resveratrol or through dietary changes, is believed to be tied to an evolved physical response in most species. Under a caloric restriction diet, the body adjusts and diverts resources from its default primary allocation - reproduction - and into tissue maintenance. As the body's cells become the focus of more nutrients and are repaired more rapidly, the cellular degeneration that is a primary sign of aging is slowly `reversed.

Trans resveratrol has incredible potential as a tool for delaying the aging process. Supplements that contain high concentrations of the compound can be taken and used for their possible benefits with little risk. Given these studies, taking resveratrol supplements can be very rewarding for your health.

Even though you will find side effects of resveratrol, the benefits significantly outweigh all these. Visit PureandHealthy.com at this time.