Skeptics of resveratrol seem to enjoy pointing out that resveratrol’s positive results have thus far “only” been seen in mice and rats (even though most of the medical treatments we take for granted today where initially tested on mice and rats) and that human results need to be shown before resveratrol can be trusted.

Well, maybe. But then again, maybe not. Just like lawyers, whose advice is usually shaded by their own interests, many scientests are overly conservative and don’t want to go on record saying resveratrol is “safe” to take until there is overwhelming clinical evidence pointing to that conclusion.  And, of course, no-one wants to be wrong, or get sued.

The human trials in these articles are reassuring, but it seems pretty clear already resveratrol is an amazing product with obvious benefits for those who take it. (to see for yourself try one of the free offers for resveratrol, if you haven’t already). A lot of the researchers doing these studies take resveratrol, including David Sinclair himself, and Joseph Maroon, author of The Longevity Factor. That says something to me.

Anyway, these are interesting articles, even if they do state the obvious.

 Well, the major buzz came from a series of articles published in the scientific journal Nature. These articles were written in part by a man named David Sinclair. Resveratrol’s newfound popularity in the popular vernacular is largely due to the work of this scientist.

 The Work of David Sinclair

 David Sinclair is holds a PhD in biology, and his specific area of expertise is the ageing process. Through his work in the labs at Harvard Medical University’s biology department, Sinclair has conducted several studies on ageing and what causes it.

 The studies in themselves are unique. Many scientists and other researchers rejected the idea of studying the ageing process as it seemed natural, the processes to ingrained within our molecular structure to change it. Sinclair and his team began to study the different chemical reactions which take place during the ageing process, with some significant results.

 The results of Sinclair’s studies

 Dr. Sinclair and his team were the first to identify the role of the hormone SIRT1 in the ageing process. Explicitly, SIRT1 releases fat from the body and potentially increases life span as well.

 Sinclair began to study how SIRT1 is activated within the body. He found that SIRT1 had elevated activity when a calorie restricted diet took place, as well as when resveratrol was taken.

 Sinclair and resveratrol

 Sinclair’s interest in resveratrol came about as he isolated different compounds within red wine, finding resveratrol to be the most effective when it came to kicking in the SIRT1 hormone.

 Armed with this knowledge, Sinclair started up his own company, Sirtris. The company produces resveratrol extracts and continues to test the results of resveratrol use on human beings. Although Sinclair has since sold the company, he continues to work with the company as well as in the research departments at Harvard.

 Not only that, Sinclair has thrown his own biological chips on the effectiveness of resveratrol. He currently takes a dose of 500mg daily, as do his parents and most of his research team. For many, it’s proof enough that resveratrol has a legitimate place within the vernacular of the medical community.

From Frontiers in Neuroscience, an excellent new study on the benefits of resveratrol in reducing age-related cognitive decline. I have been taking resveratrol for several years now. I have no idea how my brain is doing, but my cholesterol is lower and some other studies have shown that resveratrol can also reduce estrogen levels and boost natural testosterone production – but all of this is in mice, so who knows how much of it translates into humans. read the rest here

It’s worth paying attention to because mice are mammals, and the closest living model to us, which is why they are used in clinical tests.

Anyway, makes me feel even better about resveratrol.

Andrew