Put the Brakes on Aging With Resveratrol

by VRP Staff

Recent years have seen trans-resveratrol emerge as the closest thing science has found to a real-life fountain of youth. Research shows that this powerful antioxidant compound—found in red wine, grape skin and plants like Japanese Knotweed—transforms heart health, boosts exercise endurance and preserves a clear and sharp mind. In essence, resveratrol slams the brakes on biological aging… and a brand-new study has just uncovered one of the ways it manages to achieve this near-miraculous feat.

As it turns out, this potent phytonutrient affects one of your body’s most vital biological processes: angiogenesis, the means by which new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing ones.

New blood vessel growth is not only normal, but necessary—your body relies on this natural process everyday. But unfortunately, the process doesn’t always work optimally—under certain circumstances, angiogenesis can become “pathological,” interfering with your cellular health, your heart health and your vision.

Needless to say, controlled angiogenesis is one of the most basic requirements for health and longevity, primarily because it ensures normal cellular growth—a benefit that extends to just about every system in your body. And the latest research shows that among its many benefits, resveratrol may actually be able to support this essential biological process.

In a new study, researchers assessed the growth of new blood vessels in the retinas of laser-exposed mice—some of which had also received resveratrol. Previous studies have already demonstrated that resveratrol is able to activate “longevity genes” known as sirtuins—a unique benefit that scientists believe partially accounts for its astonishing impact on lifespan in animal studies. Results of this recent animal study, however, showed that resveratrol also blocks the proliferation and migration of cells lining the blood vessels (vascular endothelial cells) by regulating a pathway involved in protein synthesis called the elongation factor-2 kinase pathway.¹

This new pathway, researchers concluded, is one route by which resveratrol promotes healthy angiogenesis mechanisms in the body—thereby effectively promoting healthy cellular function. It’s a critical benefit that makes resveratrol an especially important tool in the maintenance of lifelong clear and healthy vision—offering yet another research-supported reason to add a daily dose of this powerful natural compound to your healthy-aging supplement regimen today.

You can find resveratrol combined with the antioxidant powerhouse quercetin and synergistic red wine polyphenols in the formula Extension Resveratrol, available now from Vitamin Research Products.

Reference:

1. Khan AA, Dace DS, Ryazanov AG, Kelly J, Apte RS. Resveratrol Regulates Pathologic Angiogenesis by a Eukaryotic Elongation Factor-2 Kinase-Regulated Pathway. Am J Pathol. 2010 May 14. Published Online Ahead of Print