Resveratrol, a new supplement which is found naturally in certain plants and foods is getting a lot of media exposure. Some plants produce it in response to stress, injury, fungal infection, or ultraviolet light. It is found in some foods including grapes, wine, grape juice, peanuts and certain berries like blueberries and cranberries.
Resveratrol has been tested extensively for treating diseases including various forms of cancer. To this point most tests have not involved humans, but some research is starting to be done with people. Resveratrol has been featured on talk shows and news programs for its potentially life changing benefits.
Red wine is a common source or resveratrol. You can also find it in other foods. Below are some foods with the amount of resveratrol in a serving (150 mL of wine or 1 cup of foods). This information was found on Wikipedia and matches with amounts published in an Oregon State University publication (references below).
* Red Wines (Global) - 0.30 to 1.07 mg
* Red Wines (Spanish) - 0.29 to 1.89 mg
* Boiled Peanuts - 0.32 to 1.28 mg
* Peanut Butter - 0.04 to 0.13 mg
* Red Grapes - 0.24 to 1.25 mg
Based on the information above, if you eat a cup of red grapes, you get almost as much resveratrol as you would in a glass of wine. Some resveratrol supplements are advertised to contain 500 mg per capsule which is about 500 times more powerful than red wine or grapes.
Lots of research has been done on the potential benefits of resveratrol. Much of the research has been done in the lab on mice, fruit flies, small fish, and directly on cells. Some of this research is very encouraging. Given the recent media exposure, there will be many more studies done to try to validate the health benefits for people. Until then, you have to decide for yourself if you want to try resveratrol supplements. Some companies offer free trials so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to try it. You can also get them almost anywhere nutritional supplements and vitamins are sold. Throughout this site you will find several places you can order resveratrol. Some of them are free trials and some are not.
This article should be used for informational purposes only. There has been no approval by the FDA for any health condition or disease treatment with resveratrol. You should consult your doctor for any treatments needed and before starting any exercise or diet program. Much of the information used in this article was obtained from research done by Oregon State University and is published at lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/resveratrol/.
Tags: Diet Nutrition Exercise