Anti Aging Health and Nutrition

Posts Tagged ‘antioxidant’

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.

Doctors Philippe Marambaud, Haitian Zhao, and Peter Davies from the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York published a study in 2005 that found that resveratrol, a red wine ingredient, lowers the levels of an Alzheimer’s disease protein.

Several studies show that moderate red wine consumption is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Wine is full of antioxidant compounds that have potential nerve protection characteristics. In this study, resveratrol is shown to lower the levels of a specific protein that clumps in the brain as a result of a gene variation. This protein, called beta amyloid, can lead to memory loss and dementia, which are features of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a disorder that leads to the most common form of dementia occurring in aging adults. These findings suggest resveratrol supplements, made from natural compounds, have a therapeutic potential in Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have shown that moderate wine intake reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Resveratrol is suspected to have antioxidant and nerve protection properties. Therefore, resveratrol contributes to the beneficial effect of drinking red wine on the nerve degeneration process associated with aging.

This study also suggests that chemical modifications of resveratrol can be done in the context of improving its potency, stability, and the rate at which resveratrol is absorbed. This can also improve resveratrol’s therapeutic use to fight the effects of aging.

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.

Doctors from the Micorarray Division of Genomic Tree, Inc in Daejon, Korea reported that they studied the effects on a genome-scale analysis of resveratrol induced gene expression in ovarian cancer cells in 2003.

Resveratrol is a natural compound found in large quantities in grapes and red wine. Resveratrol can be consumed in lozenge or pill form as well. This compound has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, cancer preventative and anti-aging effects.

The doctors examined whether or not resveratrol has any effect on growth and gene expression in ovarian cancer cells and found that resveratrol supplements restricts cell growth and stimulates ovarian cancer cell death.

The conclusion to the study shines a ray of hope on the possible uses for resveratrol. A new view of gene expression in ovarian cancer cells treated with resveratrol shows that the compound’s actions may be more than just anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory.