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.

Dr Dore surmised that, “it’s not likely that brain cells can have high enough local levels of resveratrol to be protective,” as “resveratrol is needed to jump-start this protective enzymatic system that is already present within the cells” however “even a small amount may be sufficient.”

The experiments on mice used a group receiving resveratrol and one that didn’t (control group) prior to inducing a stroke in both groups (In the name of science!). The mice receiving the resveratrol showed significantly less damage sustained from the effects of the induced stroke than the control group.

In conclusion, the study suggests that resveratrol in small doses may act as a preventative measure against severe brain damage that often accompanies a stroke. The paper will be printed in an upcoming issue of Journal Of Experimental Neurology.

Because resveratrol has anti-inflammatory properties, and the researchers know that prior to tumors growing in lung tissue, inflammation occurs because of the accumulation of toxic free radicals, Resveratrol may have binded with and removed the free radicals.

The scientists were shocked to see that actually resveratrol didn’t remove the free radials, but instead protected the enzymes, called caspasses, that kill off precancerous cells.

This exciting new development will be published in a new paper in the International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology in the upcoming month or two.

The ‘corporate’ researchers published their study in January in the Journal of Biological Chemistry that questioned previous studies that suggests resveratrol may enhance an enzyme that slows the aging process.

These researchers suggested that resveratrol is not a direct activator of the sirtuin gene or any other biochemical pathway – as if this is simply a linear straightforward process.

The research in the this field seems to be overwelming in favor of resveratrol being beneficial in may aspects for maintaining good health. This could just be another instance of corporate “bad mouthing” and results oriented scientific study that can be easily skewed to show a specific result.