Another Peek

One of the great mysteries of dietetic science is the so called “French Paradox” – the French eat foods that are high in calories, high in fat, and wash it down with gallons of red wine, and have a typical healthy life span that’s nearly four years longer than an American who eats similarly.

This isn’t coincidental. The real answer appears to be a phytoalexin compound called resveratrol. Resveratrol is produced by some plants, mainly in the skins of fruit, to guard against bacteria and infection, and is a powerful antioxidant.

But scientists weren’t entirely sure that the levels of resveratrol the French were getting from their diet was high enough to fully explain the paradox.

But, what almost no one can argue with is that the trials performed in the lab produced nearly uniform benefits as a result of taking resveratrol. The lucky mice who were given resveratrol lived longer, but that’s just one part of it. They also had more energy and more lean muscle than their counterparts.

Hold on, that’s only half the story…

For example, a group of mice who had been genetically engineered to have diabetes had their blood glucose levels moderate to just slight above normal after taking resveratrol.

No one claimed this “cured” diabetes, but the benefits were dramatic enough that they warranted some serious human trials.

And as you might expect, now the Web is getting into this as well. I’m sure you’re at least aware of the glowing reports that have been describing resveratrol as a true wonder drug that will change the world.

Does it deserve this kind of attention?

It just may. It’s going to be pretty hard for resveratrol to live up to all of hype. The fountain of youth that we’ve been searching for throughout history is, alas, just a myth.

But maybe, when all is said and done, we might all agree that resveratrol is as close as we can get.

So, at least in my opinion, it’s worth taking the time to look into it. Drug purity laws of course don’t apply to resveratrol or other supplements — they’re not “drugs,” but instead are “nutrional supplements.”

Buying resveratrol, like buying any supplement online, is a game of buyer beware. Because we have to harvest it from plants rather than producing it synthetically, a lot of time and effort goes into getting resveratrol. Which means that resveratrol supplements tend to vary in quality, along with their price.

Before you ask, trying to get nutritionally and clinically significant amounts of resveratrol from your food sources is almost impossible – the most concentrated form of resveratrol found in a typical diet is in dark red wine, and you’d have to drink about 3 liters a day of the stuff to get the comparable dose fed to lab mice.

So supplementation is going to have to be the way to go. But to begin with, what should you look for in good resveratrol supplements?

What you should look for in a resveratrol supplier is something that doesn’t contain a lot of unnecessary fillers. You should be aware that resveratrol can break down if not stored properly — it’s best to get a product that hasn’t been stored in high temperatures or exposed to very bright light.

The very first thing I would suggest you do is head over to the resveratrol supplements review pages I mention below, where you’ll find constantly updated reviews. There are also a few nice videos at that site that show you the exact steps you need to take to claim some great free resveratrol trial samples that a few companies are giving away. So it’s definitely better than a haphazard trial and error process, and it just might wind up saving you a decent amount of money.

Just to sum up, whichever resveratrol supplements you choose to take, understand that it’s only a part of a health maintenance system. Excerise, a health diet and some attention to your emotional health are still important.

Don’t take resveratrol expecting it to work miracles on its own. You still have to live a reasonably health lifestyle to experience the true benefits. In other words, don’t abuse your body and expect resveratrol to make it okay.