You may have heard of resveratrol recently. It has been featured in many popular magazines and television shows.including 60 Minutes.  You may be wondering what is resveratrol and why all the hype. Resveratrol is an antioxidant found in red wine and over the past several years researchers have discovered many health benefits including anti-aging effects, cardiovascular improvement, and increased immune efficiency.

Resveratrol has been known to scientists for over fifty years. However it has only been recently that researchers have looked closely at the compound and begun exploring the many health benefits. Much of the focus came when resveratrol was thought to be responsible for the seeming health benefits of red wine as evidenced by the so called “french paradox”.  Even though the French are known for consuming very rich and fatty food they experience relatively low levels of heart disease.  When this finding was put under more rigorous testing by researchers they discovered many other potential benefits as well.

In many studies over the last twenty years, most using animal subjects, resveratrol has been shown to impact everything from aging and life cycle to muscular and mental performance.  New studies are consistently being published expanding on our understanding of resveratrol and its impact on health. More research is being done to determine what the potential for this antioxidant is and the best ways to harness its power.

You have likely been ingesting small amounts of resveratrol all your life without knowing it.  It is present most commonly in red wine as it is occurs naturally in grape skins.  Peanuts also contain very small amounts. Unfortunately research indicates that higher concentrations of resveratrol than can be found naturally are required for potential health benefits.  This has lead to the development of resveratrol supplements and extracts.  Often it is harvested from the Japanese Knotweed, a large plant native to Asia.

Every day scientists and nutritionists learn more and more about this compound and how our body’s use it.  Over time we should be able to make better and better use of it to potentially slow aging, increase metabolism, and perhaps many more benefits.