I know of very few people—well, no one actually—who don’t want to look and feel younger for longer. Anti-aging is a growing field of medicine and there are exciting discoveries made all the time about the aging process and how to slow it down.
Recently, red wine has created quite a buzz among anti-aging researchers.
Now, I know you’ve heard about the heart healthy benefits of red wine. Research shows that people who drink a glass of red wine with dinner most days can lower their risk of heart disease by as much as 62%.
But the healthy benefits of red wine don’t stop at the heart.
Red wine contains a compound called resveratrol. Resveratrol is found in the seeds and skins of the red grapes used to make wine. It is a polyphenol and has been widely heralded for its antioxidant properties. But, it turns out there is a lot more to resveratrol than that.
Different studies show that resveratrol reduces inflammation, it protects brain cells and neuron pathways from damage, and it may help prevent cancers from forming. In addition, preliminary research also shows that resveratrol has an interesting affect on living cells. In healthy cells, resveratrol can help them to live longer and in unhealthy cells it can help trigger their natural death process.
In animal studies, resveratrol seems to affect certain changes in the body that are associated with aging. In doing so, it may actually slow down the aging process. In one study, resveratrol slowed down both memory loss and muscle atrophy. Researchers believe that resveratrol will lead to a breakthrough in anti-aging medicines sometime in the near future.
You Can Take Advantage of Resveratrol Starting Today
You don’t have to wait to start taking advantage of the benefits of resveratrol. You can begin eating more foods that contain resveratrol, starting immediately.
Red wine is the best-known source of this amazing compound. You can increase your resveratrol intake just by adding a glass of red wine to your dinner each day. With this strategy, you’ll also get to take advantage of the heart healthy benefits of red wine.
You can also enjoy the benefits of resveratrol by eating more red grapes and by snacking on peanuts or blueberries and by drinking more grape juice. Choose a purple grape juice over a white one, and make sure you pick juice that is 100 percent juice and not packed with artificial sweeteners.
The understanding of the benefits of resveratrol is growing rapidly, and one thing is clear… this powerful compound does good things for your body, so try to add a little more to your diet.
Stay well,
Mark Rosenberg, M.D.
Photo Credit: betastuffs.blogspot.com
