Resveratrol and SIRT1: News in Brief

Resveratrol is a phytoalexin produced naturally by various plants in response to stress, injury, fungal infections and UV radiation. It is found in the skin of red grapes, raspberries, blackberries, plums, peanuts, blueberries and the roots and stems of Japanese Knotweed, a native medicinal plant from China and Japan, from which we get our extract. Resveratrol is receiving a lot of attention lately for its ability to prolong life. In every species studied so far, Resveratrol has been shown to extend life expectancy.

Resveratrol Increases Healthy Lifespan in Animals

Scientists first noticed that feeding Resveratrol to yeast lengthened their lives by 70%. As they moved up the food chain in their experiments, they find a recurring theme: Resveratrol extends lifespan.¹

In November 2006, a long awaited study headed by David Sinclair and released by Harvard Medical School published the results on mice. The average lifespan of the mice were increased by 30%. And this is despite the fact that resveratrol consumption began in mid-life.Overfed mice were studied in particular, and equally surpising was the fact that Resveratrol virtually eliminated the majority of other illnesses unique to the obese mouse control group.

Caloric Restriction and SIRT1 Activation

Caloric Restriction - severe limitation of food intake - has long been known to dramatically increase the lifespan of every animal we've tried it on. It can push lifespan out by up to 55% in mice²:

Even mice beginning CR late in life, like these winners of the Methuselah Mouse Rejuvenation award:

have their lives extended by up to 35%.

Sinclair has shown that a gene called Sirt1 is turned on by a CR diet, and that it is also turned on by Resveratrol.  No other molecule is known to have this ability. Sinclair has demonstrated in rats that when the Sirt1 gene is activated, lifespan is increased, but CR does not increase it any further.  Conversely, knocking out the Sirt1 gene eliminated any beneficial effect of CR. The evidence is very convincing at this point that Resveratrol may be CR in a pill.

Age-Related Health Effects of Resveratrol

Mice on CR do not just live longer, but are healthier for longer. They are all but immune to a wide variety of diseases that most young animals (and people) are less prone to be troubled by. And this seems to be exactly the result of studies of mice that have been made with Resveratrol. For example, in the now-famous Sinclair study, the livers of the mice were autopsied and they found that the high-calorie fed mice on Resveratrol had livers compatible with those on a far healtheir diet⁴

Just imagine how well your body can function with Resveratrol and a healthy diet.

Resveratrol Dosage, Bioavailability and Safety

To match the dosage pound per pound of the mice in the Harvard 2006 study, one should take 500mg for each 50 lbs of one's weight per day.  That would put the dosage in the range of 1500-2500 mg per day depending on your weight.  We do not recommend at this time that children, pregnant or lactating women take the supplement.

Recently Sinclair has moved on from mice to humans, with a daily dosage of 2500mg to 5000mg of a synthetic version of Resveratrol that he claims is more bioavailable.  He has completed phase 1a safety trials using this formulation, and although waiting 50-100 years for the effects of lifespan is is not in the cards, he is testing for the specific positive health benefits seen typically seen in CR and in the 2006 mouse study.

A Toast

So here's a toast, as the tradition goes: To health, and long life!

Resveratrol (50%) Supplement Facts