Anti Aging Health and Nutrition

Archive for the ‘Cardiovascular / Heart Health’ Category

At the School of Life Sciences at Lanzhou University, G.A. Liu and R.L. Zheng conducted research into the ability of polyphenols (groups of chemicals found in plants) to protect healthy cells against diseases like heart disease and cancer at the cellular level.

The Study

Seven polyphenols were studied, among them resveratrol.

DNA damage was induced by using hydrogen peroxide on human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) which is known to cause single strand breakage in DNA. The researchers then observed the ability of the seven polyphenols to protect the cells against the damage the hydrogen peroxide was invoking on the cellular DNA.

Resveratrol Provides Significant Cell Protection

Resveratrol, as well as others of the seven tested polyphenols, had a substantial impact on inhibiting cell damage. The impact was dose-dependent as higher doses were more effective in cell protection.

Some of the polyphenols, however, failed to provide any protection. In fact, only three had any effect in protecting the cells against hydrogen peroxide damage (resveratrol, quercetin, and 7.8-dihydroxy-4-methyl coumarin), but these had a big enough impact to convince the researchers that they had discovered a possible mechanism explaining resveratrol’s outstanding track record in protecting against cancer and heart disease.

Drs. A.A. Bertelli, L. Giovannini, W. Bemini, M. Migliori, M. Fregoni, L. Bavaresco, and A. Bertelli at the Institute of Anatomy at University of Milan, Italy have evaluated the anti-blood clotting effect of cis-resveratrol, a type of the antiaging compound resveratrol found in red wine.

In 1996, these doctors evaluated the anti-blood clotting activities of cis-resveratrol in a laboratory environment in different concentrations on blood-platelet rich plasma. Cis-resveratrol was able to decrease toxin-induced blood platelet clotting, while trans-resveratrol at the same concentration had a lower efficiency rate. However, both types of resveratrol were observed to cause a decrease in blood clotting, a common condition experienced by aging adults.

In this study, both of these have effective properties in biological fluids, such as blood platelet rich plasma. The evaluation of resveratrol activity in animals and humans takes into account the total amount of both cis- and trans-resveratrol. Cis- and trans-resveratrol, like resveratrol, can be consumed by drinking red wine or taking resveratrol supplements, in the form of tablets, pills or lozenges.

In a 1999 study from the College of Medicine in the Institute of Biochemistry at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan, researchers Jen-Hun Lin and Shu-Huei Tsai studied the cancer and heart disease prevention benefits of resveratrol, a red wine ingredient. Resveratrol may have therapeutic potential for acute coronary heart disease, cancer and other heart related health problems, such as clogged arteries.

Resveratrol’s strong antioxidant activities may have positive effects on many diseases and disorders like cancer, aging, vascular disease and various immune complex-mediated diseases. Experiments show that resveratrol has significant antioxidant activity on a molecular level as well as cancer chemopreventative abilities.

Moderate red wine drinking, thus the consumption of resveratrol, is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing blood platelets from clumping and causing a blood clot. There are many benefits to consuming resveratrol and the basic properties of this natural plant compound are anti-cancer, anti-heart disease, and anti-inflammatory. Resveratrol has been shown to suppress build up on artery walls, which can lead to clogged arteries. Resveratrol can be consumed in ways other than red wine drinking, such as resveratrol supplements in the form of tablets.