Did you ever notice how the latest end all, be all anti aging wonder discovery seems to pop up and instantly disseminate allover the place in the media? One minute I heard murmurs about this wonderful newly discovered compound called resveratrol, and the next I saw it explode allover the internet, television, newspaper and magazines as the next possible wonder drug against that all too scary reality for us humans, aging and premature death.
The obsession that we have with aging and prolonging life is another discussion entirely in and of itself, and it’s an obsession that is all too indicative of being human and self aware. Nonetheless, it is a fascinating topic, and one that has drawn much attention, especially as we have become pioneers of our own destinies in some ways with the advent of modern medicine and treatments, as well as nutritional awareness.
Longevity is a huge buzzword today for marketers of products that hint at being part of the key to a longer and healthier life. I truly do believe that there are supplements we can take that can help us achieve greater health and perhaps a longer life (who’s to say until we are on our deathbed whether something really worked in that arena, it is such a grey area still).
However, I also believe that our diets are the real key to longevity and greater health, since the real food is always better than popping a pill. Resveratrol may have changed my mind about that though. Unfortunately, I’m not talking about the plethora of resveratrol supplements that have already made their way to market, but I’m talking about a company that is currently developing what they hope is going to be a wonder drug against aging and the symptoms of aging, like diabetes, cancer and other ailments that tend to happen to the human race more frequently after a certain age.
I watched (in awe by the way), a special that was run on 20/20 about two scientists who happened to discover that resveratrol was the reason that red wine offered so many health benefits, and may have explained the reason that the French, who characteristically drink a lot of red wine, enjoy lower rates of obesity, heart complications and tend to live a longer, more disease free life when compared to their non habitual red wine drinking counterparts. The reason red wine contains this compound is that it is found in the skin of darkly colored grapes, which are used in the pressing of wine.
When they made this discovery, they opened a research and development operation which has since been purchased by a large drug company which is interested in the technology they are developing. What is that technology? Well, Dr. David Sinclair, one of the two researchers who is working on a resveratrol formula for human longevity and potential disease fighting, says that they are trying to create a formula that is 1,000 times stronger than the typical potency you would get out of red wine.
Why so strong? Because the research they have done thus far indicates that in order for the resveratrol molecule to have it’s desired effects, which is switching on a gene that is responsible for longevity and continued health in older age, it needs to be 1,000 more potent than what it currently is in standard form.
The trials thus far in mice are intriguing to say the least (I said I was in awe, this was why), as they showed a number of interesting benefits in the mice that were treated with the resveratrol that the mice who were not did not exhibit. The treated and non-treated mice were both fed high fat diets, however the mice that were treated with the potent molecule had considerably less body fat than the ones who had not been inoculated.
This seems to point to a suggestion that not only could this newly discovered molecule be a boon for longevity and overall health, but it also may protect us from obesity the same way that a controlled calorie diet and rigorous exercise routine would. Could it also be a couch potato’s dream when it finally comes to fruition? Well, of course time will tell and human trials still need to be completed because even though mice have similar physiology to humans, many times promising mice trials don’t translate into human success of a drug.
The mice that were inoculated also showed a greater physical prowess, demonstrating greater cardiovascular fitness as well as endurance when compared to their counterparts. Post mortem autopsies of the treated mice had shown that their organs were still in pristine condition, while the non-treated mice showed signs of deterioration associated with aging and poor diet.
While this is all very promising, there is still a ways to go before this drug can be fully developed for human use, and there’s still no telling whether these amazing benefits will translate to human efficacy yet either. A conservative estimate before we may hear anything on this drug would be five years, so until then, keep drinking that red wine, and eating those dark skinned grapes as a regular part of your diet!
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