Resveratrol
| Ⓒ By Jonathan Roseland |
I'm not a doctor, medical professional, or trained therapist. I'm a researcher and pragmatic biohacking practitioner exercising free speech to share evidence as I find it. I make no claims. Please practice skepticism and rational critical thinking. You should consult a professional about any serious decisions that you might make about your health. Affiliate links in this article support Limitless Mindset - spend over $150 and you'll be eligible to join the Limitless Mindset Secret Society.
Pros vs Cons of Resveratrol - Should Biohackers take it?
Contrary to what you may have been led to believe by 60 Minutes, CNN, and Dr. Oz, Resveratrol is NOT for everyone...
The Resveratrol Debate
Pros vs Cons
Trans-Resveratrol
Resveratrol and Pterostilbene
Epigenetic Awesomeness Protocol
Sources
Cofactors
Side Effects
Conclusion
Resveratrol Video
This article is mostly going to focus on decoding what the human studies are saying about Resveratrol and how this squares up with the anecdotal experiences of Biohackers online. For more of my own personal experiences, thoughts, and comparisons please see the written and video reviews in the sidebar.
The Resveratrol Debate
The first thing that many of us ever heard about Resveratrol is that it's the special natural ingredient that makes red wine "healthy." It turns out that was mostly just marketing BS, it's not very healthy because red wine is high in toxins that tend to do more harm than the minimal Resveratrol content does good.
Resveratrol is one of the few anti-aging health supplements that's entered the mainstream and has become a household name thanks to clever lobbying on behalf of the red wine industry. Unfortunately, to get an effective dose of Resveratrol; 150 - 300 milligrams, you would need to drink about 40 glasses of red wine...
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Which is about ten times more wine than I would drink, even if I was celebrating something major!
But far be it from me (or Ben Greenfield here in his "biohacking bible" Boundless, discussing Sardinian longevity) to try to persuade you to give up drinking wine...
They are famous for their regular consumption of a regional red wine called cannonau, a dry wine that contains two to three times the flavonoid content of other wines. Not familiar with cannonau? It is known elsewhere and more popularly as grenache.
...a polyphenol found in the skin of grapes that may protect the body against the oxidative damage that increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Resveratrol can also combat the formation of the plaque found in the brains of dementia patients. This may be why the weekly consumption of alcohol is associated with better cognitive function in old age. Plenty of additional research backs up the link between wine intake, reduced stress, and longevity (p.876)
- Resveratrol supports your sirtuins, which allow for your genes to turn off, one of the causes of aging is that genes get left on. It's kind of like if you left the lights on in your house all the time you're going to waste electricity. Sirtuins turn off those lights.
- It acutely increases insulin sensitivity, so it's a good idea if you're at risk for diabetes.
- It's a veritable heart health hack, it improves blood flow, reduces blood pressure, and it's cardioprotective.
- 500 milligrams increases cerebral blood flow, so it's kind of a Nootropic at a high dosage. Although, the study didn't note much of an effect on cognition.
- An animal study indicated it may be helpful for Alzheimer's.
- Resveratrol blunts the positive effects of exercise training on cardiovascular health in aged men according to a double-blind, placebo-controlled Dutch study of 27 men whereas exercise training effectively improves several cardiovascular health parameters in aged men, concomitant resveratrol supplementation can blunt these effects.
- Another 2014 study of 16 younger adult males found a similar negative effect on gains after HIT aerobic exercise.
- It's not a true longevity promoter but it promotes health. According to Examine.com it Does not add years to life, but may add life to years.
Trans-Resveratrol?
We call it Trans-Resveratrol because this supplement actually started its life as something else other than Resveratrol but then it attended a liberal arts college, went through a rebellious phase, dyed its hair a weird color, and decided to identify as a Resveratrol. Just kidding! That's a terrible joke... Trans-Resveratrol is just the name for Resveratrol in supplement form.
Sources
Double Wood Supplements, based in the United States, is one of the few sources of supplements that are verified for purity with a publicly available certificate of analysis from a credible lab in the US - they offer Resveratrol capsuled, for your convenience.
Resveratrol is a polyphonic bioflavanoid compound with antioxidant properties most commonly found in grapes and wine, and it is believed to be the main ingredient responsible for some of wine’s health benefits.
Resveratrol is commonly taken as supplement for a number of benefits including supporting cardiovascular health and longevity. There is some evidence Resveratrol can support cognitive function via increased cerebral blood flow, but more research in this area is needed.
Downloadable Resveratrol?
You may be interested in taking it as an infoceutical here - a non-pharmacological, side-effect-free version of the drug that takes advantage of the phenomenon of water memory - which is imprinted on water with electromagnetism and trippy lights using this device...
If you're skeptical of Infopathy that's understandable but I'd urge you to evaluate the scientific evidence (presented in my biohacker review) that downloadable medicine is no longer science fiction...
Cofactors
Resveratrol has a few notable cofactors...
Nicotinamide Mononucleotide: this Nootropic NAD+ precursor was identified in a Scientific American article as a Resveratrol cofactor...
NAD boosters might work synergistically with supplements like resveratrol to help reinvigorate mitochondria and ward off diseases of aging.
While resveratrol has hogged the anti-aging spotlight over the past decade, unsung researchers in places like Oxford, Miss., have quietly shown that pterostilbene is a kind of extra-potent version of resveratrol. The pterostilbene molecule is nearly identical to resveratrol's except for a couple of differences that make it more "bioavailable"...
Grape Seed Extract: becomes a much more potent anti-cancer agent combined with Resveratrol. To quote a 2011 study from my home state Colorado
RSV-GSE combination suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis even in the presence of mitogenic growth factor IGF-1, suggesting the importance of understanding the potentiating effects of phytonutrients in combination as they would occur in nature rather than individually.
Melatonin: combined with very low doses has the same positive effects on heart health and some beneficial anti-cancer effects.
The Dream Team: Resveratrol and Pterostilbene
We've all heard that antioxidants like Resveratrol are good for us but do you know why specifically? The transhumanist Aubrey De Grey is famous for saying that...
"Breathing is bad for us!"
This may sound absurd but it's true, just like iron rusts or bread goes bad when left out because of oxidation, our internal organs are oxidized over time. This is why antioxidants like Resveratrol and Pterostilbene are crucial anti-aging supplements.
- Resveratrol improves mitochondrial function, particularly when combined with the cofactors CoQ10, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, and Grape Seed Extract.
- From a 2010 Polish study evaluating the synergistic effects of trans-resveratrol and pterostilbene: At higher concentrations, an additive effect was observed. These protective effects may partially explain the health benefit of these bioactive microcomponents when together in the diet.
- An American 2007 study found that it promotes a healthy, balanced system especially when taken with Grape Seed Extract.
- The antioxidants have some chemopreventative and chemotherapeutic.
- Inducing apoptosis, which is when old cells naturally die off.
Articles specifically on Trans-Resveratrol and Pterostilbene: 20
Epigenetic Awesomeness Protocol
This protocol will give you the epigenetic and Insulin sensitization benefits of both Resveratrol and Pterostilbene while allowing you to experiment with the NMN dosage. Some biohackers report that doubling the NMN dose to a gram daily makes a huge difference, others find 500 milligrams daily impactful. You’ll have to experiment for yourself...
Month 1
500 milligrams NMN daily
50 milligrams Pterostilbene daily
Month 2
500 milligrams NMN daily
200 milligrams Resveratrol daily
Month 3
1000 milligrams NMN daily
50 milligrams Pterostilbene daily
Month 4
1000 milligrams NMN daily
50 milligrams Resveratrol daily
Month 5
500 milligrams NMN daily
50 milligrams Resveratrol daily
50 milligrams Pterostilbene daily
In the final month, you would take all three together, however, I suspect that this may be a bit of overkill unless you’re struggling with a serious chronic condition. The studies indicate that taking Resveratrol or Pterostilbene increases the baseline NAD+ level for weeks, even after ceasing dosage. When it comes to natural compounds, the effects on our health tend to linger, I think even with the 1-month cycles you’ll enjoy some synergy between the pharmacokinetics of Resveratrol and Pterostilbene.
Side Effects
The risk with this one is virtually non-existent. They did studies with people taking as much as five grams with no adverse effects.
Conclusion
As I perused the Resveratrol research and watched interviews with the researchers, what I kept hearing was the same anti-aging benefits of Resveratrol could be accomplished by calorie restriction; not eating a lot or fasting regularly.
Nootropic Ingredients
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