Resveratrol Side Effects, Benefits, Dosage, and Research Information - My Resveratrol Experience

Resveratrol Dosage: Determining the proper dose (Part 2)

Resveratrol studies are being performed for numerous ailments by many research groups on a continuous basis.  From multiple types of cancers to diabetes, from anti-aging cures to sports endurance enhancement, if it can be related to resveratrol then the research has most likely begun.

So far, from the studies I've read, it will most likely be proven that different doses of resveratrol will be needed to treat different types of illness or to increase your physical and mental health.  I think when you first decide to take resveratrol you need to be clear what "your" intended purpose for using it is.

Unfortunately, I don't have a chart detailing how much resveratrol you should take to accomplish your specific goals.  As a matter of fact no one does, yet!  What we do have is research showing conflicting dosage evidence in non-human subjects.  The most recently published study (which I posted about 2 weeks ago) used a much lower dosage then prior studies and had some impressive results.  The dosage debate continues.

The rest of this post is just my personal opinion and is not backed-up by any scientific data at all.  I do however feel you can benefit from reading it as I did from just writing it.

8th week on Resveratrol & a question...

It's been 1 month since I increased my resveratrol dosage by an additional 500mg on training days.  (For those of you who haven't read that far back I work out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and decided to take the increased resveratrol dosage to see if there would be any recovery benefits.)  The main thing I've noticed is my increased energy level after I workout.  My "lazy" feelings are gone.  No more coming home from work and vegging out on the couch.  Now I feel like I need to do something instead of laying on the couch for hours every night.  I am happier and so is my wife!

Placebo effect?  Maybe, but I'll take it either way.

On another note, I've been wanting to discuss another reality of taking resveratrol that I am interested to know if others feel.

Resveratrol Dosage: How much should you take? (Part 1)

This could be the number one most asked question in regards to resveratrol... how much resveratrol should I take?  The answer is not that simple however!  In actuality there may not even be a correct answer to the question.  This is my first post addressing proper human dosages but it certainly won't be the last. 

A major misconception about what a proper dose is comes from the many research studies done on rats and mice.  You have to realize that the doses given in these studies CAN NOT be transferred over identically to humans.  Why you might ask?  The reason is not so complicated but determining the correct human dose is.  Mice are obviously very different from humans; they have different metabolisms, smaller surface areas, and there cell structure is not identical to humans. 

7th Week on Resveratrol: Personal Update

Another week on resveratrol has passed and I must say as each week passes I feel better and better.  I can't say it's entirely because of the resveratrol but I do know that without t-res it's highly unlikely I would be progressing physically as rapidly as I have. 

Along with the physical benefits I've experienced, something has to be said for the mental gains resveratrol has produced.  I have always been an analytical person, but since starting resveratrol I am able to process thoughts quicker and more clear than I was able to previously.  I am also in a much better mood which could be a result of the resveratrol directly or a compounding result of the mental and physical benefits I've received.  One thing is for sure, no matter what the cause of these positive feelings I am thrilled to be having them!

Resveratrol FAQ has been updated.

I just updated the FAQ by re-organizing the categories and links.  I hope you will find this to be more useful and easier to navigate.  I still have about 30-40 links that need to be added which I am hoping to get to within the next week.  Let me know what you think?

Site Updates: Coming soon!

Happy Friday everyone!  I just want to take a moment and let you all know I am working on re-organizing the resveratrol FAQ and creating summaries for each link.  I know it's not setup in an "easy to navigate" way right now.  I also have another 30-40 links to add but need to finish organizing the FAQ so it is easy to navigate.  I am pretty good at using a computer but creating websites is new to me.  So as I learn a bit more html & css I'll continue to update the site.

Please continue to post or email me any questions you may have.  It's been nice getting to know some of you and I look forward to hearing about your own personal experiences.  If you have any links I should add to the FAQ please let me know.  I am also working on setting up a page to highlight some of the resveratrol companies that I believe are providing a quality product.

In the mean time for those interested in anti-aging research check out this website:

http://www.mfoundation.org/sens (SENS: Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence)

They have a great explanation as to why we age and a new innovative approach to eventually slowing or stopping the aging process.

Resveratrol Supplements: How do I know what to buy?

You've made the decision to start taking resveratrol, now how do you decide which brand you should take?  This is a serious question and I urge anyone interested in trying resveratrol to think it over carefully!

"You are going to put a non-FDA regulated, little known substance, into your body and sometimes in large quantities."

That just sounds crazy!  Well, I did it and I don't think I'm crazy (well, maybe a little but that's an entirely different story.)  I do however think I am careful and not lazy.  It is just pure irresponsibility to take a supplement of any kind without first researching it and then knowing to the best of your ability the purity of the substance you are about to consume.

That brings me to my selection criteria for choosing a resveratrol supplier:

Micronized Resveratrol: Is it better?

In earlier posts I spoke about the importance of bioavailability and resveratrol.  We know that when a drug or supplement is taken orally it must pass through our digestive system and is metabolized.  Many substances that are not very water soluble have a hard time making it through this process without first being eliminated or structurally broken down.  This means it never makes it to it's desired destination in our bodies.  To make these types of substances more bioavailable, a method called "micronization" is implemented.

"Micronization is the process of reducing the average diameter of a solid material's particles. Usually, the term micronization is used when the particles that are produced are only a few micrometres in diameter. However, modern applications (usually in the pharmaceutical's industry) require average particle diameters of the nanometer scale." from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronization

My Personal Update!

Another week has passed and I've continued on with the same regimen.  Unfortunately, the bad allergy season this year has turned into a sinus infection.  So, I've been a bit under the weather this past week.  That said, I was fortunate in that aside from being congested I still had the same amount of energy I've had the past few weeks.  I continued to workout and aside from not being able to breathe through my nose it went pretty well.  Now, I have no idea if this has anything to do with the resveratrol but typically when I get sick like this I am miserable and in bed.  I'm not a fun sick person to be around.

In an recent post I mentioned speaking about commercial companies that have contributed and seem to do business properly.  I received a few emails most of which from people who wanted to see the commercial information as long as it wasn't a bunch of advertisements.  Well, I couldn't agree more.  Not a big fan of ads.  Not to say they will never be here but they certainly won't ever be in your face.

New Resveratrol Research: Potential Negatives

It's important to me in my research on resveratrol to find not only the potential positives of resveratrol but the potential negatives as well.  If the information I read isn't backed by scientific research then the information can not really be deemed as all that reliable.  Case in point: my own posts regarding my personal resveratrol experiences are not scientific proof.  Scientific research helps us determine for certain whether or not a hypothesis is proven true or false.  That said, it is always great to hear peoples own resveratrol experiences.  Any information is better then no information at all.

Recently, I've been in communication with Dominick Burton a Research Scientist from the UK.  Dominick is the owner of ageing-research.blogspot.com which focuses on, "the ageing process, specifically concentrating on cellular senescence and it's impact on age-related tissue dysfunction and disease development/progression."  After a few email exchanges he provided me with a summary of a study he recently completed with regards to resveratrol and a potentially damaging effect.

With permission from Dominick I am posting a summary of the study results:

Please share your opinion with me.

When I started this blog I was very careful to not include any commercial references to those selling or manufacturing resveratrol.  Throughout my research I have found there are "some"  honorable companies doing unbiased research to help further educate the public on trans-resveratrol and its effects.

I could really use your feedback as to whether or not I should write about these companies and what they are doing for the resveratrol community.  I would be very selective in determining who I would write about and only provide information I feel would benefit all of you, including myself.

So what do you think?  Should I write about these companies and their research?  Perhaps a page dedicated just to commercial interests?  Your opinions are greatly appreciated.

My personal resveratrol experience update!

It's been 5 weeks since I started taking trans-resveratrol capsules and I continue to feel what I believe are positive effects.  I understand this could just be the result of a healthier lifestyle or a placebo effect, but I believe the resveratrol has added benefits.

In a previous post I mentioned my increase of an additional 500mg of t-resv on workout days.  I wanted to see if this would help my post workout muscle recovery.  I've noticed the ability to bounce back from a hard workout has improved compared to a steady dose of 500mg each day.  Combined with increased energy levels this definitely makes my recovery days more productive from an overall stand point.  I am going to keep paying attention to this "experiment" and see if this improves or goes away all together.

Resveratrol results in mice. The latest news!

Earlier today I posted a link to the newest published study regarding resveratrol and its effects on mice as it relates to caloric restriction and anti-aging.  I've had some time to read through the study and found some interesting information that I'd like to point out.

Article Title:

"A Low Dose of Dietary Resveratrol Partially Mimics Caloric Restriction and Retards Aging Parameters in Mice"

About the participants and their diets:

"We fed mice from middle age (14-months) to old age (30-months) either a control diet, a low dose of resveratrol (4.9 mg kg⁻¹ day⁻¹), or a calorie restricted (CR) diet and examined genome-wide transcriptional profiles." 

and further explanation of the subjects,

"We fed individually-housed male (C57BL/6×C3H/He)F₁ hybrid mice one of three diet formulations: a control diet (84 kcal mouse⁻¹ week⁻¹), a CR diet (63 kcal mouse⁻¹ week⁻¹) and a control diet supplemented with trans-resveratrol (4.9 mg kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) starting at middle age (14 months of age)."

New Resveratrol Study Results Announced

Here is the link to the new study regarding red wine, resveratrol, and its caloric restriction properties in mice which came out in the PLoS1 journal.  I will be reviewing and breaking the information down later this evening.  See you all then.

A Low Dose of Dietary Resveratrol Partially Mimics Caloric Restriction and Retards Aging Parameters in Mice

What is SIRT1?

SIRT1, a sirtuin, is commonly associated with resveratrol but I never really understood what one had to do with the other.  The answer is rather an in-depth topic that I will do my best to simplify in terms I was able to understand. 

Friendly disclaimer: Just as a reminder I am not a doctor, nor do I have any background in medicine or supplement science other than what I've learned through my own research.  When I read medical journals it takes me hours to get through one report because so much of my time is spent looking up strange words and trying to understand the definition.  It gets overwhelming and at times I find myself completely lost.  I am sure others can relate.

So here we go...

SIRT1 can be explained as our bodies "judge and jury" as to whether or not a cell should live or die.  When our body ages or is under attack our cells have to make a decision.  That decision is basically to either give up and die or to fight and try to repair itself from the damage thats being done to it.  SIRT1 is an enzyme that can help tell the cell what it should do.  So if there is more SIRT1 available, or activated, there is a better chance for that cell to try and repair itself and live on.