Have you ever wondered if you are using the best food sources for resveratrol? First let’s review a little history. The hero of our story was discovered in 1941 but until the last few years no one really understood its properties, benefits or how it works.
The media has done numerous stories on the “French paradox” which is basically how the French with their high calorie, high fat diets and “oolala” lifestyle manage to live longer and have less heart disease than almost anyone on the planet.
The heavy consumption of red wine is given most of the credit for keeping the nation of France populated but it is a member of the flavonoid family called resveratrol that is at least partially responsible.
This previously little known plant substance has been shown to inhibit the formation of blood clots and the bad cholesterol [LDL] which in turn reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease; studies also reveal that it seems to block the formation of cancer cells.
There is a twist here. It was thought until recently that the resveratrol was one of the antioxidants in red wine that was helping eliminating the destructive free radicals in our bodies. However, recent evidence from cell culture experiments suggests that many of the biological effects of flavonoids are related to their ability to regulate what are called cell-signaling pathways.
The difference is that, in general, antioxidants fight disease and disease potential. In contrast, the cellular regulation of genes may make us more efficient, disease resistant and less susceptible to the overall aging process. In other words, we are not working with a normal antioxidant.
The question on many peoples minds is what is the best way to get it? The best food sources for resveratrol are red grape seeds and skins, blueberries, cranberries and peanuts. That’s right, peanuts. As far as portions go, 2-3 cups of peanuts will give you the rough equivalent of one glass of red wine.
I know what you are thinking. Eating grape seeds and skins or pounds of peanuts each day doesn’t sound appetizing. Unfortunately drinking 10-20 bottles of red wine per day isn’t either.
Modern farming methods have reduced the overall nutrient amount in wine by a factor of at least 5 since World War Two so what used to work is now not as practical. So what do we do? The good news is that the cellular regulation of genes I mentioned earlier is accomplished with very low doses of all the red wine flavonoids.
It is very possible then to find the best food sources for resveratrol in a multi nutrient supplement. However it should have several qualities.
1] We want trans which is natural as opposed to cis which is synthetic.
2] We want a high potency of around 50% of active ingredients. This should give you a total of 10mg to 50mg which is ample. This can be tricky because most supplement companies prefer not to tell you their potencies.
3] We want the other enzymes, vitamins, flavonoids and amino acids to combine together or they will not work as well.
4] We need an enteric coating which allows the sensitive nutrients to get through the stomach and into the small intestine.
In conclusion, keep eating your fruits and vegetables but in order to get the maximum practical benefits add a balanced well thought out supplement.
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