Anti-Aging Medicine Is Widely Misunderstood

Anti-aging medicine is widely misunderstood because it isn't to simply increase the years of your life, but to increase the life as you age. Who wants to live to be 100 if you were a mental and physical wreck during your last 20 years? We’ve all known people for whom aging was so enfeebling that their passing on was a blessing to them and to their loved ones. Debilitation is what we want to prevent. We want quality years, not quantity. We want to add healty living and not simply increase our lifespan.

We have discssed befor the value of red wine in the diet and resveratrol the phytonutrient found in the skins and seeds of grapes, peanuts, and a handful of other plants that protects them against fungus. It is also present in red wine, which is ubiquitous in French culture, and is the likely explanation of the “French Paradox” or why the French can eat a high-fat, high-calorie diet, yet have significantly fewer heart attacks and live longer than people in other countries.

The cardioprotective benefits of resveratrol are broad. It boosts levels of HDL cholesterol and nitric oxide, which relaxes the arteries and improves blood pressure. It thins the blood by curbing platelet accumulation and blocks the attachment of clots to the artery walls, which is the cause of most heart attacks and strokes. It is also a potent antioxidant and antiinflammatory agent that tends to minimize damage, even if you have a heart attack or stroke. It also provides protection against dietary indiscretions, and its benefits go far beyond heart disease: Resveratrol may actually slow the aging process and add additional healthy years to your life.

Moderate wine consumption seems to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, improve insulin sensitivity, and lower risk of diabetes and some types of cancer. People who drink wine, especially red wine, are less likely to be obese, suffer with depression, or get Alzheimer’s. And in addition to staying healthy, wine drinkers tend to live longer and better lives. Alcohol merits some credit because some of these benefits extend to moderate drinking of any kind. But wine has a magic of its own. This is particularly true of red wine sinceIt contains resveratrol, a unique compound also available in supplements.

Supplemental resveratrol is well absorbed, and although it has a short half-life (the time required before 50 percent is broken down), once it is metabolized in the liver, its metabolites stick around for up to nine hours. These metabolites travel through the bloodstream, and when they encounter a specific enzyme at a site of inflammation, infection, or cancer, the resveratrol molecule is freed up, allowing it to work where it is needed the most.

The suggested dose of resveratrol is 100 mg once or twice a day, taken with meals. The quality of resveratrol supplements varies considerably, so it’s important to use a product with guaranteed stability and potency.