Resveratrol Benefits Review

Resveratrol is well-known for its health benefits. Today, we’re going to explain the laundry list of mounting body, brain and beauty benefits and back them up with real scientific evidence.

And as you move through our well-researched and documented resveratrol review, you will see this stilbenoid, a compound when in concentrated doses, can actually and nearly proven to slow down the progression of many diseases and ailments.

We will elaborate on the effectiveness and proper dosage of this antioxidant supplementation versus the side effects of high dose resveratrol pills.

What is Resveratrol?

Resveratrol is a polyphenol found in predominately in 2 of life's greatest enjoyments, red wine and chocolate. It’s also primarily found in grape skins and red grape juice. When ingested, it acts as a flavonoid antioxidant, which leads to powerful health benefits throughout the body. Those reported, restorative resveratrol benefits include all of the following:

Improves Cardiovascular Health

This is the best-known health benefit of resveratrol: it improves your heart health. That’s why many people say that having a glass of red wine every day is good for your heart.

Resveratrol is thought to benefit cardiovascular health in two ways:

— First, it protects the endothelium from oxidative free radical damage. The endothelium is the delicate inner layer of your arteries.

— Second, resveratrol raises levels of nitric oxide. This critical chemical is produced by the endothelium and keeps blood vessels dilated to the perfect diameter to ensure adequate blood flow throughout your body.

Together, these two effects can have a significant impact on your cardiovascular health.

One study from Australia involved overweight hypertensive men and post-menopausal women. Participants were given a single dose of resveratrol, after which researchers measured resveratrol’s impact on the brachial artery (which is the biggest artery of the upper arm). Typically, impaired blood flow in the brachial artery is associated with an increased risk of obesity and hypertension.

After consuming that single dose of resveratrol, researchers observed powerful health benefits “within the hour”. Participants experienced a rapid increase of healthy blood flow.

Ultimately, this can reduce your risk of death. Researchers in Connecticut demonstrated that resveratrol can “precondition” your heart, which then provides it with the protection it needs to survive and avoid cardiac events.

Reduce your Cholesterol and Prevent Heart Disease

The same antioxidant effects mentioned above have benefits on other parts of your health. Those who consume their recommended daily serving of resveratrol every day have a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.

There’s one major reason behind this connection. First, resveratrol’s antioxidant effects reduce inflammation. This prevents the oxidation of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. When LDL cholesterol can’t get oxidized, it’s less likely to form platelets and stick to the walls of your blood vessels.

As evidence for this benefit, we submit this Canadian study, where researchers found that drinking one to two 5-ounce glasses of wine every day led to a reduced risk of stroke and heart disease. Study participants were observed to have a “significantly reduced risk” of developing atherosclerotic disease, which is a precursor to heart disease and stroke.

This ultimately reduced their risk of death by 30%.

Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Studies have shown that resveratrol can reduce the spread of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers believe the compound protects nerve cells from damage while also reducing plaque buildup in the brain – two things that typically lead to Alzheimer’s.

Numerous studies have measured the effect of resveratrol on the brain. This study from the UK analyzed the brain activity of 22 healthy adults. The adults were given resveratrol, after which researchers observed increased “neurological blood flow”, which suggests better mental sharpness and concentration.

Want some more evidence about the brain benefits of resveratrol? Consider this study from Illinois, where researchers discovered that mice who had been given resveratrol supplements had better memory function and performed better on mental performance tests.

Stop the spread of Cancer Cells

There’s some evidence that resveratrol can stop the spread of cancer cells. Some studies have even shown that resveratrol triggers cancer cell death (apoptosis).

One research study conducted in France found that resveratrol slowed down the production of cancerous cells. Those researchers recommended resveratrol as an anti-cancer agent and specifically recommended people eat blueberries, peanuts, and grapes to get an adequate intake of resveratrol (along with both red and white wine).

Reduce Risk of Diabetes

Resveratrol can reduce your risk of diabetes by preventing insulin resistance. When your body becomes insulin resistant, it means you’re less sensitive to the effects of the blood sugar-lowering hormone known as insulin. This almost always leads to diabetes.

Resveratrol has been shown to prevent insulin resistance from occurring, which could reduce the likelihood of diabetes in at-risk patients.

Better Athletic Performance

Many of the benefits listed above are appealing to those who are sick, old, or obese. But resveratrol has also been shown to benefit people who are perfectly healthy.

In a 2012 Canadian study, researchers showed that athletes could possibly benefit from resveratrol supplementation.

The study, unfortunately, did not involve athletes: it involved rats. Rats received resveratrol supplements over a 12 week period. These rats were observed to have better endurance, oxidative metabolism, and cardiac functionality. They also had an overall endurance training performance increase of 21%.

Some have pointed to this study as evidence that resveratrol can boost your musculoskeletal health. Even the researchers, however, admitted that more research needed to be done on human studies before these benefits were definitive.

Protect your Eyes

Resveratrol has been shown to protect the most important of your five senses. A study from Missouri showed that resveratrol was able to reduce the risk of age-related blindness.

Typically, we all lose a little bit of our eyesight as we get older. Researchers found that those who took a healthy daily dose of resveratrol were able to reduce abnormal blood vessel growth in their eyes.

This benefit was thought to be linked to resveratrol’s ability to regulate angiogenesis. That means blood vessels cannot form in the eye and potentially damage your eyesight.

Raise Testosterone

The male body’s testosterone production starts to gradually decline after the age of 30. This process is sometimes known as male menopause, and it has been linked to reduced muscle mass, balding, a reduced sex drive, and other unwanted side effects.

One Korean study showed that resveratrol boosted blood testosterone levels by more than 50% after a 28 day period of daily resveratrol consumption compared to a placebo group.

Before you get too excited, you should realize that the Korean study was conducted on mice.

What’s the Best Way to Enjoy Resveratrol Benefits?

Many would agree that the best way to enjoy the benefits of resveratrol is by drinking a glass of red wine every day.

That may be true. But other valuable sources of resveratrol include peanuts, pistachios, grapes, cranberries, blueberries, and dark chocolate.

If none of those foods or drinks sound appetizing to you, then you can also buy resveratrol health supplements from health food stores and pharmacies across the country.