The extract resveratrol, which is found in the skin of red grapes, has gotten a lot of attention recently because it has been shown to extend the lifespan of animals. It has anticancer properties and a powerful ability to protect the brain against immunoexcitotoxicity, the central mechanism in brain aging and neurodegenerative disease of the brain.
Resveratrol is a potent antioxidant that stimulates brain growth and synaptic connections. It can also mimic fasting. In fact, it appears to confer all the beneficial effects of actual fasting and dietary caloric restriction without having to go through extreme dietary changes.
Recent research has discovered that resveratrol prolongs life by stimulating AMPK, an enzyme that regulates cells. AMPK stimulation causes mitochondria to reproduce within cells, especially neurons. By making more mitochondria per cell, the neuron has more energy without the added risk of producing a lot of free radicals. (Mitochondria are, after all, the major source of free radicals.) Read my report "Stop Aging Naturally" for in-depth information on how to slow the relentless march of time.
Resveratrol also causes robust outgrowth of neurites — that is, brain connections — and is a major weapon against immunoexcitotoxicity. Because of its effect on neuronal AMPK, resveratrol reduces the damage caused by strokes, brain oxidative stress, immunoexcitotoxicity, and post-traumatic seizures. Animal models have shown that it protects against Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease.
Other studies have found that resveratrol reduces the aging effects of diabetes on internal organs, and also improves insulin function in those people with Type 1 diabetes, making low levels of insulin more efficient. To learn more about how to prevent and control diabetes, read my report "The Diabetes Solution."
Resveratrol inhibits prostate cancer by obstructing the influence of androgens on the DNA in prostate cancer cells. Androgens (such as testosterone) can greatly stimulate the aggressiveness and spread of prostate cancer.
Highly invasive cancers, such as melanomas, carcinomas, fibrosarcomas and lymphomas, have extremely high levels of MMP-2 and MMP-9, proteases thought to be important in metastasis. Women with high levels of MMP-2 in their primary tumor have a higher rate of cancer recurrence and a shorter survival time. Resveratrol helps suppress MMP-2 and MMP-9. For more information on preventing and treating breast cancer, see my newsletter "Breast Cancer: Beating the Odds.''
Resveratrol can also reduce liver damage and inhibit the replication of viruses. It is useful in treating Parkinson’s disease, managing venous veins, and protecting the retina.
The amount of useful resveratrol in red wines varies widely, but grapes grown at higher altitudes have higher levels. It can also be purchased as a supplement.
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