Last Updated: 23 May 2018, Marc Woodard

A substance taken as a pill has been studied over the last decade now shows further promise of extending life well over the centurion mark.  Whereas the average life span could exceed 100 years of age.

“That would be something considering the average life span today is 79.” This doesn’t seem so impossible to believe simply based on the fact the oldest living person recorded to date was Jeanne Calment who lived 122 years and 164 days .

Science has experimented with resveratrol concentrates in mice studies over the last decade where positive results show extended longevity, weight loss and decreased disease occurrences. However to receive similar benefits in humans relative to the animal studies would require the consumption of 1000 glasses of red wine [resveratrol resides in wine] daily equivalent dose. And no, “I don’t recommend consuming a lot of wine based on the study.”  However a high concentrate of resveratrol, or other phenol (plant) pill found in the marketplace may provide longevity benefits animal studies currently purport.

The questions than become 1) Do high resveratrol concentrate in supplement form exist?  2) Would it be safe to consume in high concentrate.  3) Are those healthy-longevity results seen in animal studies relative to human metabolism and health?

“So what exactly is resveratrol?”

It”s the trace phenol substance found in the likes of grape skin, seeds and vine that is the healthy component after harvesting and processing of red grapes to wine. That’s why nutritionists and health experts agree red wine is heart healthy if not exceeding two 6-8oz glasses per day. Alcohol volume is the health risk here. Whereas the heart healthy phenol [resveratrol] found in red wines is present in low concentrate.

Science also tells us this particular phenol (plant) substance is known to defend against harmful bacteria and fungi pathogens.

The most abundant source of resveratrol comes from vitis vinifera, labrusca, and muscadine grape sources used to make red wines. The highest concentrate source is from the skin of these grapes. There is ~50-100 micrograms (millionth/gram)/red grape source and by volume ~.30 – 1.07 milligrams (thousandths/gm)/resveratrol in a 5oz glass of wine.

Resveratrol is a secondary [stilbenoid] product which occurs naturally in a variety of plants (red grape, hops,  peanuts, Japanese Knotweed, melinjo fruit, mulberries, eucalyptus, spruce and lily). The phenol substance from the grape stilbenoid falls under the classification of flavonoids.

Flavonoids are found in fruits and vegetables which provide anti-oxidant benefits. High concentrate flavonoids also reside in seeds, nuts, green tea, buckwheat and pine bark. The best sources of anti-oxidant flavonoids are found in onions, tea and apples and of course red wines.

It appears through scientific animal studies a high concentrate of phenol substance daily also has the potential to reduce risk against cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, etc.

A 2006 study show mice served an over saturated fatty diet while taking 22mg resveratrol/kg of body weight/daily had a 30% lower risk of death as opposed to mice consuming the same high fat or restricted diet without concentrate. “Here we show that resveratrol shifts the physiology of middle-aged mice on a high-calorie diet towards that of mice on a standard diet and significantly increases their survival [Wade/Baur, et al. 2006]. Disagreement of transferable health benefits to human metabolism continued to be met with skepticism by the scientific community on topic.

However the scientific and anti-aging community may finally be more in lock-step based on the latest genomic medicine research related to this resveratrol-based 2006 longevity study.

As of early 2013, there were no published clinical trials for resveratrol animal efficiency studies based in genomic medicine with regard to human age related disease.

However on 7 March 2013,

– Efficiencies relative to reservatrol and longevity connection was recognized possible through a target group of encoded gene known as a sirtuin. Or [SIRT1] appears to encode a member of the family of proteins that establish the human efficiency-benefit connection. To this date, “the science of aging has increasingly focused on sirtuins, a group of genes that are believed to protect many organisms, including mammals, against diseases of aging.”

Mounting evidence has demonstrated that resveratrol, a compound found in the skin of grapes as well as in peanuts and berries, increases the activity of a specific sirtuin, SIRT1, that protects the body from diseases by revving up the mitochondria, a kind of cellular battery that slowly runs down as we age. By recharging the batteries, SIRT1 can have profound effects on health [Cameron 2013].

This is good news for the Anti-aging, medical and scientific community if these connections can be scientifically proven for human efficiency benefit. But what is a safe resveratrol concentrate dose today until SIRT1 trials can provide further data relative to anti-aging and longevity?

In 2006, an average daily concentrate was determined based on animal studies relative to a 175lb person. It would actually take 400mg resveratrol/kg of body weight/daily or 30,000mg/day to achieve the same efficiency claims made in the mouse studies using 22mg resveratrol/kg of mouse weight/daily.

This difference in dose adjustment for the human metabolism is necessary because ours is much slower than a mouse. Therefore the studies using 22mg resveratrol/kg of mouse weight/daily was not relevant to human efficiency benefits.

Here’s the adjustment dose difference from those trials. Instead of 22mg resveratrol/kg of mouse weight/day, the subject (mouse) would have to be fed a diet concentrate equivalent of 30,000mg’s resveratrol/kg body weight/daily for the study to be relevant for a 175lb person!  And If a person weighing 175lbs consumed ~400mg resveratrol/kg of human weight/daily it would likely present a toxicity problem [Wade/Baur, et al. 2006].

There have been no studies on mice using anywhere near a 30,000mg’s resveratrol/daily concentrate equivalent. But past studies on mice using concentrates as high as 300 mg resveratrol/kg of mouse weight/daily for up to 4 weeks had no adverse effect. However that’s not even close to the adjusted daily dosage for human efficiency studies. To understand the efficiencies on humans a metabolic dosage and/or sirtuins [group of genes] must be an adjusted dose on mice relative to human weight and metabolism.

It would be interesting to see further animal studies that closely resemble the 30,000mg resveratrol human dose equivalent and what efficiencies/inefficiencies will be revealed in coordination with genetically coded research on humans.

Currently moderate resveratrol dosed supplements can be purchased in the marketplace. “Those who choose to consume 20 mg of resveratrol a day can take comfort in the BioMarker research showing that this potency exerted impressive changes in critically important genes involved in various aging processes and degenerative diseases.” However this statement is likely backed by the anti-aging research and marketers and not accepted by the scientific community until efficiency tests are proven in a controlled lab environment.

“Those who choose to consume higher doses of resveratrol can look at the media-reported studies that also showed very impressive results. The good news for consumers is that they can obtain standardized resveratrol and other grape constituents in 20 mg and 100 mg capsules, at a very moderate cost” [Life Extension 2007].

My advisement to the consumer, “Beware! Science truly has not proven the potential side effects and health risks when consuming a high dosage resveratrol (phenol) type, or like supplemental-herb diet product(s).”

To this date the efficiencies seen in animal studies do not equate to similar human benefits. If interested in taking resveratrol concentrate  – 20-100mg resveratrol concentrate appear safe.  However it is not clear whether or not a significant health or longevity benefit would result.

Investing in a HIGH phenol concentrate without scientific proof of efficiencies could be akin to throwing money down the drain. The off-set… lower dosages may be of health benefit.

Recommendation: There are two ways to make a consumer decision on topic:

Save your money on high concentrate phenol-herb supplements until science figures out an efficiency concentrate backed by the scientific community.

Taking a 20-100mg daily dose does not appear to present a health risk. It seems more likely than not resveratrol supplements at these dosages would improve metabolic efficiencies as opposed to increase health risk.

The decision to supplement diet with resveratrol at this point in time appears more likely a health benefit than not.

References,

Barrett, Stephen, M.D. Resveratrol: Don’t Buy the Hype. Quackwatch.org http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/resveratrol.html

Baur JA, Pearson KJ, Price NL, Jamieson HA, Lerin C, Kalra A, Prabhu VV, Allard JS, Lopez-Lluch G, Lewis K, Pistell PJ, Poosala S, Becker KG, Boss O, Gwinn D, Wang M, Ramaswamy S, Fishbein KW, Spencer RG, Lakatta EG, Le Couteur D, Shaw RJ, Navas P, Puigserver P, Ingram DK, de Cabo R, Sinclair DA (November 2006). “Resveratrol improves health and survival of mice on a high-calorie diet”. Nature 444 (7117): 337-42.

Cameron, David. New Study Validates Longevity Pathway. Harvard Medical School. President and Fellows of Harvard College. 7 March 2013. https://hms.harvard.edu/news/new-study-validates-longevity-pathway-3-7-13

Life Extension. What Dose of Resveratrol Should Humans Take? Life Extension. March 2007.  http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2007/3/report_resveratrol/Page-04

Linus Pauling Institute. Micronutrient Information Center. Resveratrol. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/resveratrol/

Peris, Richard. Dr. Could We Live Forever? Or Even Come Close. CBS news, 11 February 09.  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-3475140.html

Roizman, Tracey. Plant Sources of Resveratrol. LiveStrong.com. 7 February 2011.  http://www.livestrong.com/article/376085-plant-sources-of-resveratrol/

Wade, Nicholas (November 16, 2006). “Red Wine Ingredient Increases Endurance, Study Shows”. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/17/health/17iht-web.1117wine.3582746.html

Woodard, Marc. 10 Super Centenarians how’d They Live Over 116? Mirror Athlete Fitness Secrets! 22 September 2012. http://www.mirrorathlete.org/2012/09/22/10-super-centenarians-howd-they-live-over-116/

Woodard, Marc. Was the Viking Culture Healthy? Mirror Athlete Fitness Secrets! 23 September 2010. http://www.mirrorathlete.org/2012/09/22/10-super-centenarians-howd-they-live-over-116/

Woodard, Marc. Epidemiology Provides Ill-Health Prevention and Centurion Wisdom. Mirror Athlete Fitness Secrets! 23 June 2010.  http://www.mirrorathlete.org/2010/06/23/epidemiology-provides-ill-health-prevention-centurion-wisdom/

Woodard, Marc. Alcohol Consumption Good, or Bad for your Body? Mirror Athlete Fitness Secrets! 25 September 2008. http://www.mirrorathlete.org/2008/09/25/mirror-athlete-enterprises-healthblog-alcohol-consumption/

Woodard, Marc. Why We Need Super Foods. Mirror Athlete Fitness Secrets! 23 December 2008. http://www.mirrorathlete.org/2008/12/23/mae-healthblog-why-we-need-super-foods/

Wikipedia. Resveratrol. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resveratrol

Author: Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, ARNG, CPT, RET. 2017 Copyright. All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Inc., www.mirrorathlete.org, Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.