Resveratrol, a phytoalexin found in the skin of red grapes and in red wine, has long been known to have health benefits, including the ability to control inflammation, but it was not known exactly how it achieved this effect.
New research has revealed that resveratrol stops inflammation by delivering a double whammy that prevents the body from creating two different molecules known to trigger inflammation, sphingosine kinase and phospholipase D.
In this study, a group of mice that were pretreated with resveratrol before being given an inflammatory agent were protected from developing inflammation, while mice that were not pretreated experienced a strong inflammatory response simulating disease in humans.
This work raises the hope that resveratrol – or a derivative – can be used to treat potentially deadly, acute inflammatory diseases such as appendicitis, peritonitis and systemic sepsis, and may also be of benefit in the treatment of other inflammatory conditions.
NB: This post is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
In light of these studies, could one figure out that resveratrol could possibly be described as a fountain of youth and also a anti-cancer supplement? Once once more, it is far too early to say for certain. Even though the outcomes in animal studies had been fairly conclusive, comparable studies have not yet been completed on human patients. 1 could say that the countless wine-drinkers across the world are feasible test subjects, and maybe the country of France can be a form of scientific lab by itself, yet it’s understandable that experts may wish to perform a bit a lot more study prior to making any type of striking statements.
You’re right, of course, it is still early days, but the indications are very hopeful nonetheless, and the evidence continues to mount. In fact, it’s been announced just this week that red wine stops breast cancer spreading, thanks to the resveratrol blocking the growth effects of estrogen, which, in turn, stops the cancer cells proliferating (FASEB Journal, 2011; 25: 3695).