by Alice Drew
The Oprah Winfrey Show is widely recognized as a source of expert advice on health and anti-aging. Not long ago, Dr. Mehmet Oz, an American heart surgeon of Turkish origin and an expert on the latest anti-aging techniques, made a guest appearance on the show. Dr. Oz presented some of his findings concerning resveratrol-a newly identified antioxidant and a possible catalyst for fighting, reducing, and even reversing the effects of growing older.
Fight Toxins, Fight Aging
Antioxidants are naturally occurring substances that protect the body from oxidants-toxins that damage the tissues of the body, causing the visually evident wrinkles on the skin, as well as the less obvious damage to the body’s internal systems. Antioxidants help to defend the body, particularly its organs, brain cells, and the nervous system. Moreover, they help to remove the oxidants and even repair damage caused by the aging process.
Resveratrol and Sirtuins
Resveratrol is perhaps one of the strongest antioxidants that modern-day researchers have discovered. Resveratrol is effective at slowing the aging process because, when taken in large quantities, it energizes genes that each of us possesses called “Sirtuins.” A Sirtuin is able to halt the weakening of cells caused by aging and to rebuild injured cells. Consistently consuming resveratrol allows a person to be less fatigued, more energetic, and to see his or her wrinkles softened, the age lines smoothed.
Many observable advantages are generated by taking resveratrol. Resveratrol boosts the immune system, aiding both cancer patients and people who have suffered some kind of injurious exposure to radiation. It has helped many lose weight as well.
Still, this is only the tip of the iceberg! Studies concerning resveratrol are still in their infancy, and GlaxoSmithKline has already invested almost a billion dollars to further our knowledge of this seemingly miraculous antioxidant.
Homeopathic? Of Course!
Identified in 1963 as “ko-jo-kon,” resveratrol has been used for a long time as a homeopathic remedy-derived from Japanese Knotweed-in Asia. While Japanese Knotwood would seem to be a rather obscure source of resveratrol, you might actually have some growing in your backyard! Knotwood has been identified as an invasive, virtually invincible weed in more than thirteen states. Its hardiness derives directly from the resveratrol it contains. Thus Knotwood is used by some in cooking, as a substitute for rhubarb, while companies have begun manufacturing supplements from it.
Peanuts, believe it or not, are an important resource for resveratrol. Think about that the next time you’re at a bar, and snack away! Indeed, long-believed to be a danger due to its high fat content, the peanut has been redeemed through studies which exhibit that people who eat peanuts daily are healthier than those who do not. Eating fatty peanuts actually reduces the amount of fat in your body, and it does so by means of nothing other than resveratrol.
In 1992, resveratrol was discovered in both grapevines and the red wine produced by them. While the health effects derived from drinking a glass of red wine are becoming common knowledge, think about this: it takes somewhere around one thousand bottles of red wine to equal the amount of resveratrol found in a single day’s dose of a resveratrol supplement!