Resveratrol & Red Wine: Is a glass a day really enough to keep the doctor away?

For centuries, red wine has become an elegant addition to any meal. Today, red wine is becoming more and more popular as research experts uncover the multitude of health benefits one can get from drinking one glass of red wine everyday. Intensified coverage by the popular media recently sparked a whole new interest in red wine because of the newly discovered compound found in red wine believed to be the source of all its amazing health wonders. This compound is Resveratrol.

Resveratrol is a phytoalexin, a kind of antibiotic found to be produced by many plants such as berries, pomegranates, peanuts, and the sturdy knotweed. It is also commonly found in the skin of red grapes, which is used to make red wine. White wine is not said to contain the same amounts of Resveratrol because it is mostly made from the flesh of grapes. There are many varieties of red wine and among these, those made from grapes grown in cooler regions have higher Resveratrol concentration. This is because grapes in these areas produce more Resveratrol to fight off the harsher elements of their environment. The Pinot Noir variety of red wine is said to have the highest levels of Resveratrol.

Among the French, whose diet consists of red wine as a staple for every meal, the risks in serious diseases and health disorders are very low. Statistical studies also show that the French have considerably longer average life spans that most other peoples in the world. This is so despite the fact that the French diet is very rich in saturated fats and trans-fats. This phenomenon is popularly called the French Paradox, and it is this paradox that spurred the several hundreds of scientific studies trying to look into the reason behind the amazing health of the French.

Researchers have found out that it is the Resveratrol content in red wine that is most probably responsible for the number of health benefits being enjoyed by the French. Resveratrol is proven to be a very powerful antioxidant. In fact, scientists believe that it is 50 times more effective than Vitamin E in ridding the body of free radicals that damage the healthy cells of the body. Resveratrol also has anti-clotting properties that assist in the smooth circulation of blood to the various parts of the body and in the prevention of the formation of blood clots in the blood vessels, which leads to further heart complications. More importantly, Resveratrol is found to have enough potency to fight many serious illnesses, such as obesity, heart diseases, and cancer.  

Certainly, the claimed health benefits of Resveratrol are all proven by scientific evidence. Still, many experts doubt whether this compound alone can explain the French Paradox. For one thing, research shows that for humans to receive the maximum health benefits of Resveratrol found in laboratory mice, they have to consume at least 1,000 bottles of red wine every day, which will only make the alcohol in it counteract all benefits that can be received from Resveratrol. This is virtually impossible, unless you take a resveratrol supplement (Our top pick based on our research is Miracle Resveratrol)

However, many experts still attest to the power of Resveratrol. In fact, most of them, if not all, recommend the daily drinking of small glass of red wine everyday. This may definitely not make you live up to a hundred years as many are apt to think so, but it may be just potent enough to keep your health levels in check and the doctor away for a long time to come.

Based on research, the top recommended resveratrol supplement is Resveratrol Select