There should be little or no concern of toxicity among the many thousands of resveratrol supplement users as the drug used in the trial was just that; SRT501 is a drug synthesized by Sirtris Pharmaceuticals a division of Glaxo Smithkline. And though modeled after the resveratrol molecule because of the broad based therapeutic potential that organic resveratrol has exhibited, it is a chemically synthesized compound and not a natural plant substance.

Furthermore, the drug SRT501 was formulated at a strength exceeding 1,000 times that of typical resveratrol supplement doses, a level which is nearly impossible to attain through natural supplementation.
Resveratrol alone is known to exhibit profound anti-cancer properties and has been specifically proposed for treatment of myeloma because it exhibits multiple ways to block this form of cancer, including inhibition of new undesirable new blood vessels (angiogenesis), inhibition of tumor cell invasion, and works synergistically in bone tissue with vitamin D.

Additionally, evidence from numerous in vitro and in vivo studies involving many other forms of cancer including breast, colon, prostate, pancreatic and lung has confirmed resveratrol’s ability to inhibit cancer at all three stages of development (initiation, promotion (growth) and progression (spread); something no existing anti-cancer drug does.

Resveratrol is also known to have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, to inhibit platelet aggregation and counter insulin resistance.
The anti-cancer effects of resveratrol at low doses have been demonstrated recently in studies concerning breast cancer conducted at the University of Nebraska and colon cancer at the University of California, Irvine.

The RESVANTAGE® brand resveratrol supplements are a low dose resveratrol supplement that has become the leading choice of MDs and Naturopaths for use in their practices due to its safety (low dose) and stability (ability to retain potency).
Although considered very safe and well tolerated, the long term effects of high dose resveratrol supplementation are unknown at this time and many practitioners prefer a conservative approach since there is now abundant evidence of efficacy at low doses.

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia that steals people of their ability to recall and execute basic tasks, such as eating and dressing. There are no meds to subdue or correct this tragic and terminal disease.
Preventing the creation of fibrils and unwinding them once they congregate into plaques are the present concentration of efforts to fight this disease that attacks brain organisms. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, over five million people in the United States, alone, suffer from this disease.

The results from the experiment, which was published recently on the internet in the journal Neurotoxicology, concur with previous human epidemiology experiments that associate regular red wine consumption with a reduction in risk of developing dementia.

Scientists studied resveratrol’s effects on fibrils by adding one type of beta-amyloid (Aβ42) with it and then looking for protein aggregation. They discovered that the larger the dosage of resveratrol, the smaller the quantity of aggregation. Resveratrol dramatically decreased the aggregation by as much as ninety percent.
Resveratrol also triggered the beta-amyloid fibrils to break apart, suggesting it may have the probability to destroy plaque that has already formed.

Though amyloid plaques are a unique aspect of Alzheimer’s disease, it is not totally transparent how these plaques foment the dementia associated with the disease. There is some signs that the fibrils that aggregate into the distinctive plaques are not as toxic to the brain than the intermediate compounds called oligomers. Resveratrol didn’t reduce the creation of oligomers, although the researchers saw some evidence that resveratrol could inhibit their toxic affect on cells.

Most of the skepticism about the health benefits of resveratrol currently stem from the fact that most research has been done in the laboratory on cells in pietre dishes or on lab animals and insects such as rats, mice and fruit flies – even yeast. Most of the researchers are not willing to commit to or extrapolate from the lab experiments on other lower life forms and preclude there is going to be similar health effects on people.

Apparently there are many human based studies in progress as we speak, likely with all the typical scientific protocols such as control groups incorporated in it to make it more waterproof. Much of the scientific community won’t commit beyond speculation that there is “potential” from this naturally occuring substance provided by nature.

The part I found most interesting though, is the article mentions the fact, that many of the researchers involved in the studies are may actually be privately taking the supplements even though publicly they are not fully endorsing the ingestion of resveratrol supplements!

Apparently, they have seen enough compelling evidence and understand that human DNA is extremely similar, barring a few gene strands, to most other mammalian species on the planet – soooo chances are that what’s good for “Stewart Little” lab mouse is probably going to show comparable results in humans in all probability.

Although science may need irrefutable proof that stands up to peer review and intense scientific scrutiny, us mere mortals can apply our own common sense and knowing and take advantage of the ‘French Paradox’ by consuming a healthy glass of cabernet Sauvignon or taking a more concentrated dose from a resveratrol supplement and monitor how we feel and how well our bodies respond. The jury is still out …..so make your own ruling on resveratrol!

article in LA Times found here: http://www.latimes.com/la-he-resveratrol13-2009jul13-test,0,3296348.story

Mice in this situation have lived four years longer than normal, a 40 percent increase. Moreover, they remain much healthier than their freely eating counterparts, showing an equally dramatic delay in the onset of age related diseases including a reduced incidence of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other ailments.

The McKay trial has been replicated thousands of times with many other species including monkeys and dogs with the results continuing to demonstrate a significant correlation between calorie intake and lifespan.

CALORIE RESTRICTION IN DOGS

In May of 2002, the results of the experiment regarding caloric restriction on dogs were published in JAVMA (Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association).

The objective of the trial was to evaluate the effects of diet restriction on the lifespan and on markers of aging. 48 Labrador Retrievers were paired up and one dog in each pair was fed 25% less food than its pair-mate from 8 weeks of age until death.

The results showed that “compared to the control dogs, the food restricted dogs weighed less and had lower body fat content and lower serum triglycerides, triiodothyronine, insulin, and glucose concentrations. Median lifespan was significantly longer for dogs in which food was restricted. The onset of clinical signs of chronic disease generally was delayed for the food restriced dogs.”

RESVERATROL IS PROVEN TO MIMIC CALORIE RESTRICTION

The many health benefits associated with resveratrol have long been attributed to its ability to mimic the effects of a calorie restrictive diet. Research published in the June 3 issue of the online, open-access journal Public Library of Science One (PLoS One) established it as fact reporting the “striking transcriptional overlap of caloric restriction (CR) and resveratrol”

A team of international researchers found that low doses of resveratrol slowed the aging process in middle-aged mice and improved their overall heart health. Specifically, the results observed in the resveratrol-fed mice mimicked those often seen with caloric restriction — the practice of cutting 20%-30% of calories out of one’s typical diet in an effort to improve health and prolong life. Numerous studies have linked caloric restriction to a longer, healthier life.
What’s more, the study researchers discovered that resveratrol is active in much lower doses than previously thought. Until now, researchers believed that high doses of resveratrol — impossible to obtain by drinking wine — were necessary to ward off the unhealthy consequences of eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet.
“This brings down the dose of resveratrol toward the consumption reality mode,” study researcher Richard Weindruch, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of medicine and a researcher at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, says in a news release.
The researchers believe their findings provide strong evidence that resveratrol can improve one’s quality of life and call the idea of low-dose resveratrol supplementation “a robust intervention in the retardation of cardiac aging.”

RESVANTAGE Brand Resveratrol offers a low dose resveratrol supplement for dogs and cats now.

The makers of RESVANTAGE, a resveratrol supplement company have expanded their offerings to include a resveratrol supplement for dogs and cats so that these animals can enjoy the health benefits of a caloric restrictive diet without their owners having to actually restrict their diets. It’s a viable way to tap into the science of CR and its positive effects on healthy aging while avoiding the resultant loss in body weight of the animal and potential loss of nutrients that a CR diet might cause.

In November 2002, The National Cancer Institute wrote: a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, “resveratrol may be an effective chemopreventive agent in three stages of the cancer process: initiation promotion and progression.”

Resvantage Canine and Feline is for both healthy pets as well as for dogs and cats with health issues such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular problems, fatty liver disease, hip displaysia, cognitive declines and other afflictions common with aging. There are numerous clinical trials showing the efficacy of resveratrol in lowering insulin resistance, reducing tumor incidence, breaking down fat in the liver, relieving the symptoms of arthritis and demonstrating it’s neuro protective action.