How resveratrol can help fight aging
Aging is associated with an overall loss of function of the whole organism, which starts at cellular deterioration.
All the components in the cell require continuous recycling and regeneration throughout the lifespan of the cell and should damage occur especially in the mitochondria of the cell which is very susceptible to damage it will result in aging and degeneration.
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The mitochondria in the cell are most susceptible to damage as they are the major bioenergetic machinery and source of oxidative stress in cells.
In aging and in diseases associated with aging such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's the loss of cells in the vital organs may be related to several factors and one of the primary factors would be the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the mitochondria in the cell which leads to DNA damage and cell death and by extension to aging.
It is therefore imperative to look at effectively controlling the mitochondrial biogenesis and turnover and for the maintenance of energy production in the cell and preventing oxidative stress of the mitochondria which will in turn promote healthy aging.
Although a calorie restricted diet helps to increase mitochondrial biogenesis through the activation of PGC-1 alpha but this can also be mimicked by adding resveratrol to any diet.
Resveratrol therefore helps to mimic dietary restriction (DR) which helps to delay age-related diseases (as shown in laboratory animals) and in a study on aged mice, a marked reduction of the signs of aging were apparent including reduced albuminuria (indicator of damage to the kidneys or presence of diabetes type 1), decreased inflammation, increased vein elasticity, better motor coordination, a reduction in cataract formation, and preserving bone mineral density.
The compound - t-RESV found in resveratrol displays a number of biological activities, including anti inflammatory, antioxidant, platelet anti-aggregatory and anti-carcinogenic properties, as well the modulation of lipoprotein metabolism and all of this can have an impact on lifespan extension.
It has been shown that t-RESV is a potent activator of sirtuin enzymatic activity, which mimics the beneficial effects of caloric restriction (CR) diet, which has been shown to retard the aging process and increases longevity.
Apart from this the t-RESV also seems to be effective in delaying the onset of a variety of age-related diseases in mammals and therefore shows great as an effective anti-aging compound.
Resveratrol is a phytoalexin which has been reported to slow aging by acting as a sirtuin activator, and also have a wide variety of pharmacological effects on adipocytes (fat cells), and may help to alter fat mass by directly affecting cell viability and adipogenesis in maturing preadipocytes.
The sirtuin genes function as an anti-aging gene in yeast, and the NAD requirement for sirtuin function indicates a link between aging and metabolism, and a boost of the sirtuin activity may in part explain how calorie restriction extends life span. In some test resveratrol showed great promise to help with this, and the acknowledged SIRT1 activator - resveratrol - has been shown to stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis and deliver health benefits in treated mice, and it is this mitochondrial biogenesis that may have beneficial effects on aging and also perhaps prevent the diseases normally associated in aging. SIRT1-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis may also reduce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which has a strong link to aging.
UV radiation and H(2)O(2) are two major inducers of skin cell damage but resveratrol has been shown to down-regulate SIRT1 in a time and dose dependent manner, and act as an effective antioxidant protecting against both UV- and H(2)O(2) induced cell death making resveratrol a powerful compound to use in the fight against skin aging.
In a study where cigarette smoke-induced vascular oxidative stress and inflammation was used to measure the effectiveness of resveratrol, it was shown that resveratrol can also help protect against cell death caused by cigarette smoking. PLEASE NOTE this was an animal study, and we are not advocating that you smoke cigarettes and then use resveratrol to protect your lungs and arteries, but it is non the less an interesting study.
Some data on resveratrol is also compelling in the area of skin cancer prevention, and even helps with problems not noted before such as urinary bladder dysfunction.
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