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Resveratrol - Effects and uses

by: DeniseRichards
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Resveratrol is produced by certain plants to protect them from stress caused by the environment. It is a phytoalexin which is a byproduct of a plant's natural defense mechanism. Resveratrol is found in huge amounts in the skin of grapes and this antioxidant protects the grapes from extreme heat and fungal diseases. It is therefore found abundantly in cooler climates. Wine is understandably one of the largest sources of this powerful antioxidant.

Recent studies have shown some interesting facts about this antioxidant. Resveratrol is seen to reduce the aggregation of platelets in the blood thereby reducing the risk of strokes, clots and even heart attacks. Moreover, resveratrol helps in prevention of damage of cells resulting from the presence of free radicals. This powerful antioxidant is also known to fight cancer effectively in all stages.

Although it is all at the experimental stage, resveratrol shows a huge potential in the treatment of coronary diseases and cancer. Research is being conducted extensively to find out how best this antioxidant can be used to fight these more common but deadly diseases. □

Sources of resveratrol are mainly grapes. In the grapes, it is found more in the skin than the seeds and stalk. It is found in lesser quantities in plants like lily, spruce and eucalyptus. Resveratrol is also found in sufficient quantities in mulberries and peanuts. Grapes being predominantly used in preparation of wine, resveratrol can be found in considerable quantities in wine.

On arid areas of land grapes do not have a large amount of this antioxidant. This is because there are chances of fewer fungal diseases infecting the skin of the grapes here.

It is also commonly believed that resveratrol has anti aging properties as demonstrated by experiments conducted on animals. Polygonum is a plant which contains resveratrol in abundance. This plant is one of the main ingredients present in some of the asian herbal remedies for heart and liver.

Resveratrol show promise in inducing differentiation in promyelocytic leukemia cells in humans. It also shows potential in inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase which is an enzyme particularly found in proliferating cells during DNA synthesis. The most positive factor in all this is that resveratrol shows a lot of positive potential in cancer treatment due to the fact that it produces negligible toxins which affect the blood forming cells.

Apart from these naturally occurring sources, resveratrol is also produced by companies as diet supplements. These supplements are made in the form of either powders or tablets and are derived from the natural sources like skins of grapes, seeds of grapes, Japanese knotweed, red wine, etc.

It is also not advisable to consume red wine in big quantities in a bid to prevent heart diseases and cancer. This will inevitably lead to other conditions like liver damage. It is prudent to wait for any outcome from research in the form of licensed drugs. Information and updates on resveratrol can be found on the internet.

There is no harm however in taking natural grapes, peanuts, blueberries and such known to contain resveratrol in reasonable quantities rather than taking supplements that contain resveratrol, or in powder and patch forms.

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Do you know anything about Resveratrol? It has been linked with cancer, heart disease and obesity prevention. Read more info about Resveratrol here.

Resveratrol - Effects and uses

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