As one of the most researched antioxidant nutraceuticals, resveratrol has the potential to fight cancer, protect the heart and brain, and increase longevity.
Resveratrol is one of the most studied natural polyphenol compounds and is found in the skins and seeds of red and purple grapes, berries, peanuts, and pistachios.
When plants face constant environmental stress such as from fungus, drought, ultraviolet radiation, and insect infestation, their intrinsic defense mechanism is to produce polyphenols.
Resveratrol was isolated by a Japanese scientist in 1939 from the roots of the white hellebore plant. It gained attention in 1992 when researchers suggested that this component found in red wine had cardioprotective qualities that might explain the “French paradox,” the observation that the French drink a lot of red wine and have low rates of heart disease despite a high-fat diet.
Since then, resveratrol has been studied more broadly and has shown tremendous protective potential at the cellular level.
“The in vitro and in vivo studies point to the exact mechanisms of how it works in terms of being cardioprotective, cancer preventative, cancer therapeutic, neuroprotective, helpful in people who are obese, [helpful for] glucose metabolism, anti-inflammatory, and an antioxidant,” Dr. Nathan Goodyear, a medical doctor and integrative cancer expert, told The Epoch Times.