Well I’ve done it – I’ve added another pill to my repertoire - Reservatrol Pills. But it’s probably useless according to the expert advice below because it is not enteric coded – but it does meet the other suggestions – it is from Country Life.
Here’s why I have started taking the pill to supplement red wine and other reseveratrol sources – A TV show did it!
Reservatrol Pills - 60 Minutes
"If the promise holds true, I think this has the chance to change healthcare," Dr. Christoph Westphal tells correspondent Morley Safer on 60 Minutes.
Dr. Westphal says we all may soon be taking a drug that just might beat the clock, a simple pill that could delay the inevitable. "Our goal is to prevent and forestall many of the diseases that strike us as we reach 50, 60, and 70. All with one pill."
Asked if he's suggesting that it's some kind of a rejuvenation drug that would turn a 70-year-old into a 35-year-old, Westphal tells Safer, "That might be pretty hard to do. But I think if we're on a train heading one direction, we can slow down that train. I think we can slow down these genes that control the aging process."
That quest to put death on hold began in 2003 when Westphal met David Sinclair, a biochemist at Harvard who was studying the genetic components of aging. "Five years ago I met David. And he had shown that you could extend life span in yeast. That’s pretty exciting," Westphal recalls.
Yeasts are one thing. Human beings are more complicated. So Sinclair focused on a gene present in almost all life forms: the sirtuin gene. It's normally inactive, but when it is active, Sinclair believes it triggers a survival mechanism that extends life.
Convinced that something in nature could activate that gene, Sinclair randomly tested thousands of compounds and got a hit: resveratrol.
"When I Googled this resveratrol, I was shocked to find that red wine was the top hit," Sinclair remembers.
Red wine is brimming with resveratrol. It is found in high concentrations in the skin of the grape, and seems to play a role in protecting it from in ading bacteria and fungi.
Sinclair says he was aware of research into red wine and certain health benefits. "I mean, that's why I almost fell off my chair when the link was made. And I thought that this was a potential explanation for the benefits of red wine."
Convinced they were on the verge of a major scientific breakthrough, Sinclair and Westphal launched Sirtris, a Cambridge, Mass. research company. They, along with a handful of other cutting-edge biotech companies, are developing resveratrol-based drugs that they believe zero-in on the longevity gene.
"The important news here is not that we'd found something in red wine. The important thing is that we passed a milestone where we can now make drugs based on this knowledge and we can potentially slow down aging itself," Sinclair explains. ..
We have a pill that can mimic many of the effects of calorie restriction or exercise," Westphal says.
"So one could be very healthy and obese at the same time," Safer remarks.
"Our goal is healthy individuals, ideally via lifestyle, and if that doesn't work, we believe that we'll have a pill that can mimic that," Westphal replies.
A pill that - in effect - diets for you, a pill that turns on the survival gene.
"What we're trying to do with our drugs here is to put the body in a defensive state to ring the alarm bells and get the body to defend itself instead of dieting to set the alarm off, pop a pill," Sinclair says.
The pill is a highly concentrated form of resveratrol, a virtual vineyard of healthy living. Asked how much red wine one would have to drink to get the kind of resveratrol they are using in their experimental pills, Sinclair says, "Well, the sad news is that you'd need to drink about 1,000 bottles a day of red wine, which I don't recommend."
The pill itself may not extend lifespan but could prevent the diseases of aging, like Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, even cancer. "What we're talking about is activating the body's natural, genetic defenses against diseases. And that's very powerful if we can harness that," Sinclair says. ..
Convinced that they were on the right path, they fast-tracked the drug into human trials on people with untreated diabetes. The results were impressive: it significantly lowered glucose and insulin levels, without the patients changing their diet or taking any other drugs.
"Originally our hope was that you'd be able to prevent diseases of aging. What we ended up seeing is actually you could therapeutically intervene in patients who have diseases of aging. And that was unexpected," Westphal says.
"Yeah, the diabetic patients with high blood sugar, and the molecules bring it down. That's treatment. That's not prevention," Sinclair adds.
Sirtris is now developing what they say is a much more potent synthetic version of resveratrol that will also soon go into human trials, this time on cancer patients.
"I keep on thinking, you know, what used to seem like it was science fiction, I actually believe the biology is right. And if we're right this may be the most important thing that we're going to do in our live," Westphal says.
Possibly. But it is important to remember that nine out of ten drugs that look good in mice ultimately fail in human trials.
Still, the speed and results generated by Sirtris and their resveratrol drugs are unusual, and Sinclair believes these drugs will not only keep people living longer, but will keep them healthy longer. "We're talking about is potentially making a 90-year-old as healthy as a 60-year-old. A 90-year-old can play tennis, and see their great grandkids graduate from college. People will live active, healthy lives and then die quietly in their sleep. And that's really the aim here with these medicines," he says.
Asked if humans are on the edge of maintaining lives into their 100s, Sinclair says, "Well, we certainly passed a corner in terms of the science. And someone's going to achieve it. And if it's not us, it's gonna be someone else."
But the question that most of us want answered is: when do we get this pill?
"I would say five years to be conservative that this'll happen within our lifetimes. I'm fairly certain about that," Sinclair says.
One measure of the potential of this research: Dr. Sinclair and Dr. Westphal’s little start-up company was recently bought by the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline for almost three quarters of a billion dollars.
But reservatrol pills are available today. Here’s some advice:
A resveratrol pill should provide 50% trans-resveratrol, the most active form of the nutrient. It should have an enteric coating, so that it makes it to the upper intestine, where it can be readily used by your body.
Here's why those things are important.
There are several types of resveratrol on the market. Some are derived from the skins of red grapes. Others are derived from Japanese knotweed.
The concentration in knotweed is higher than that of other sources. Supplements are sold in liquid, powder and tablet form.
Trans-resveratrol is the most stable form of the nutrient. It is the only one that is useful to the human body.
Liquid and powder supplements are rapidly metabolized into its component parts. They do not increase the levels of trans-resveratrol circulating in the bloodstream.
The same is true of uncoated tablets. So, in order for a resveratrol pill to actually increase the levels of the nutrient in the bloodstream, it must have an enteric coating.
The better companies have websites that fully outline the manufacturing processes and fully disclose the compounds present in the resveratrol pill that they sell. One of the more reputable companies admits that their supplement provides only 20% trans-resveratrol, which requires a higher daily dosage to achieve the same results that one would get with a 50% trans-resveratrol extract.
Resveratrol may protect against radiation exposure
Resveratrol, the natural antioxidant commonly found in red wine and many plants, may offer protection against radiation exposure, according to a study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. When altered with acetyl, resveratrol administered before radiation exposure proved to protect cells from radiation in mouse models. The results of the research will be presented during the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's (ASTRO) 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.
The study, led by Joel Greenberger, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is overseen by Pitt's Center for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation. The center is dedicated to identifying and developing small molecule radiation protectors and mitigators that easily can be accessed and administered in the event of a large-scale radiological or nuclear emergency.
"New, small molecules with radioprotective capacity will be required for treatment in case of radiation spills or even as countermeasures against radiological terrorism," said Dr. Greenberger. "Small molecules which can be easily stored, transported and administered are optimal for this, and so far acetylated resveratrol fits these requirements well."
"Currently there are no drugs on the market that protect against or counteract radiation exposure," he added. "Our goal is to develop treatments for the general population that are effective and non-toxic."
Dr. Greenberger and his team are conducting further studies to determine whether acetylated resveratrol eventually can be translated into clinical use as a radioprotective agent. In 2004, this same team of researchers identified the drug JP4-039, which can be delivered directly to the mitochondria, the energy producing areas of cells. When this occurs, the drug assists the mitochondria in combating radiation-induced cell death.
Here’s why I have started taking the pill to supplement red wine and other reseveratrol sources – A TV show did it!
Reservatrol Pills - 60 Minutes
"If the promise holds true, I think this has the chance to change healthcare," Dr. Christoph Westphal tells correspondent Morley Safer on 60 Minutes.
Dr. Westphal says we all may soon be taking a drug that just might beat the clock, a simple pill that could delay the inevitable. "Our goal is to prevent and forestall many of the diseases that strike us as we reach 50, 60, and 70. All with one pill."
Asked if he's suggesting that it's some kind of a rejuvenation drug that would turn a 70-year-old into a 35-year-old, Westphal tells Safer, "That might be pretty hard to do. But I think if we're on a train heading one direction, we can slow down that train. I think we can slow down these genes that control the aging process."
That quest to put death on hold began in 2003 when Westphal met David Sinclair, a biochemist at Harvard who was studying the genetic components of aging. "Five years ago I met David. And he had shown that you could extend life span in yeast. That’s pretty exciting," Westphal recalls.
Yeasts are one thing. Human beings are more complicated. So Sinclair focused on a gene present in almost all life forms: the sirtuin gene. It's normally inactive, but when it is active, Sinclair believes it triggers a survival mechanism that extends life.
Convinced that something in nature could activate that gene, Sinclair randomly tested thousands of compounds and got a hit: resveratrol.
"When I Googled this resveratrol, I was shocked to find that red wine was the top hit," Sinclair remembers.
Red wine is brimming with resveratrol. It is found in high concentrations in the skin of the grape, and seems to play a role in protecting it from in ading bacteria and fungi.
Sinclair says he was aware of research into red wine and certain health benefits. "I mean, that's why I almost fell off my chair when the link was made. And I thought that this was a potential explanation for the benefits of red wine."
Convinced they were on the verge of a major scientific breakthrough, Sinclair and Westphal launched Sirtris, a Cambridge, Mass. research company. They, along with a handful of other cutting-edge biotech companies, are developing resveratrol-based drugs that they believe zero-in on the longevity gene.
"The important news here is not that we'd found something in red wine. The important thing is that we passed a milestone where we can now make drugs based on this knowledge and we can potentially slow down aging itself," Sinclair explains. ..
We have a pill that can mimic many of the effects of calorie restriction or exercise," Westphal says.
"So one could be very healthy and obese at the same time," Safer remarks.
"Our goal is healthy individuals, ideally via lifestyle, and if that doesn't work, we believe that we'll have a pill that can mimic that," Westphal replies.
A pill that - in effect - diets for you, a pill that turns on the survival gene.
"What we're trying to do with our drugs here is to put the body in a defensive state to ring the alarm bells and get the body to defend itself instead of dieting to set the alarm off, pop a pill," Sinclair says.
The pill is a highly concentrated form of resveratrol, a virtual vineyard of healthy living. Asked how much red wine one would have to drink to get the kind of resveratrol they are using in their experimental pills, Sinclair says, "Well, the sad news is that you'd need to drink about 1,000 bottles a day of red wine, which I don't recommend."
The pill itself may not extend lifespan but could prevent the diseases of aging, like Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, even cancer. "What we're talking about is activating the body's natural, genetic defenses against diseases. And that's very powerful if we can harness that," Sinclair says. ..
Convinced that they were on the right path, they fast-tracked the drug into human trials on people with untreated diabetes. The results were impressive: it significantly lowered glucose and insulin levels, without the patients changing their diet or taking any other drugs.
"Originally our hope was that you'd be able to prevent diseases of aging. What we ended up seeing is actually you could therapeutically intervene in patients who have diseases of aging. And that was unexpected," Westphal says.
"Yeah, the diabetic patients with high blood sugar, and the molecules bring it down. That's treatment. That's not prevention," Sinclair adds.
Sirtris is now developing what they say is a much more potent synthetic version of resveratrol that will also soon go into human trials, this time on cancer patients.
"I keep on thinking, you know, what used to seem like it was science fiction, I actually believe the biology is right. And if we're right this may be the most important thing that we're going to do in our live," Westphal says.
Possibly. But it is important to remember that nine out of ten drugs that look good in mice ultimately fail in human trials.
Still, the speed and results generated by Sirtris and their resveratrol drugs are unusual, and Sinclair believes these drugs will not only keep people living longer, but will keep them healthy longer. "We're talking about is potentially making a 90-year-old as healthy as a 60-year-old. A 90-year-old can play tennis, and see their great grandkids graduate from college. People will live active, healthy lives and then die quietly in their sleep. And that's really the aim here with these medicines," he says.
Asked if humans are on the edge of maintaining lives into their 100s, Sinclair says, "Well, we certainly passed a corner in terms of the science. And someone's going to achieve it. And if it's not us, it's gonna be someone else."
But the question that most of us want answered is: when do we get this pill?
"I would say five years to be conservative that this'll happen within our lifetimes. I'm fairly certain about that," Sinclair says.
One measure of the potential of this research: Dr. Sinclair and Dr. Westphal’s little start-up company was recently bought by the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline for almost three quarters of a billion dollars.
But reservatrol pills are available today. Here’s some advice:
A resveratrol pill should provide 50% trans-resveratrol, the most active form of the nutrient. It should have an enteric coating, so that it makes it to the upper intestine, where it can be readily used by your body.
Here's why those things are important.
There are several types of resveratrol on the market. Some are derived from the skins of red grapes. Others are derived from Japanese knotweed.
The concentration in knotweed is higher than that of other sources. Supplements are sold in liquid, powder and tablet form.
Trans-resveratrol is the most stable form of the nutrient. It is the only one that is useful to the human body.
Liquid and powder supplements are rapidly metabolized into its component parts. They do not increase the levels of trans-resveratrol circulating in the bloodstream.
The same is true of uncoated tablets. So, in order for a resveratrol pill to actually increase the levels of the nutrient in the bloodstream, it must have an enteric coating.
The better companies have websites that fully outline the manufacturing processes and fully disclose the compounds present in the resveratrol pill that they sell. One of the more reputable companies admits that their supplement provides only 20% trans-resveratrol, which requires a higher daily dosage to achieve the same results that one would get with a 50% trans-resveratrol extract.
Resveratrol may protect against radiation exposure
Resveratrol, the natural antioxidant commonly found in red wine and many plants, may offer protection against radiation exposure, according to a study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. When altered with acetyl, resveratrol administered before radiation exposure proved to protect cells from radiation in mouse models. The results of the research will be presented during the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's (ASTRO) 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.
The study, led by Joel Greenberger, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is overseen by Pitt's Center for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation. The center is dedicated to identifying and developing small molecule radiation protectors and mitigators that easily can be accessed and administered in the event of a large-scale radiological or nuclear emergency.
"New, small molecules with radioprotective capacity will be required for treatment in case of radiation spills or even as countermeasures against radiological terrorism," said Dr. Greenberger. "Small molecules which can be easily stored, transported and administered are optimal for this, and so far acetylated resveratrol fits these requirements well."
"Currently there are no drugs on the market that protect against or counteract radiation exposure," he added. "Our goal is to develop treatments for the general population that are effective and non-toxic."
Dr. Greenberger and his team are conducting further studies to determine whether acetylated resveratrol eventually can be translated into clinical use as a radioprotective agent. In 2004, this same team of researchers identified the drug JP4-039, which can be delivered directly to the mitochondria, the energy producing areas of cells. When this occurs, the drug assists the mitochondria in combating radiation-induced cell death.
