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

Burning Fat Using Resveratrol: Balance is Key! (Part 1)

In a world where beauty is often measured by the size of your waist and the shape of our bodies, we are often faced with a dilemma not easily over come:

"How can I lose weight and be healthy without having to run 100 miles per week, following a strict low calorie diet, and even more extreme, having invasive surgical procedures done?"

The answer isn't necessarily one of such extremes or one of mental and physical anguish.  Perhaps we need to look at how society views what healthy is?  Or better yet, just accept the figures we were born with?  Unfortunately (fortunately for some), we are genetically prone to certain body types and diseases.  How many times have you looked at a fit man or woman eating pizza and washing it down with an ice cream sundae, only wishing we could do the same thing and maintain their form?  The reality is most of us can't ever do that!

The majority of us need to find a balance that keeps us healthy and at the same time is enjoyable and less restrictive.  If resveratrol can help burn fat and increase our metabolism then we might be able to accomplish just that! "A comfortable way to maintain a healthy life style without having to give up every thing we love."  That is BALANCE!

16th week: It's time for some R & R!

As some of you may have noticed I missed the 15th week recap.  I was extremely busy with work getting ready for my first week off in a very long time.  Needless to say this time off and vacation was long over due. 

I've been on the micronized resveratrol  for a few weeks now and have continued to experience strong "body chills" (my new way of explaining the numb rush I get) shortly after consuming my daily dose.  I've also added some "old school" staples to my supplement diet.  I am currently taking 3 grams each of glutamine and micronized creatine.  I am hoping for some increased muscle volume as well as faster recovery after heavy workout days.  A combination of the three supplements I feel will provide me and my muscles a healthy recovery from strenuous workouts.

Anti-Aging Effects of Resveratrol: The possibilities are endless!

A topic I have not focused on previously is resveratrol's direct effect on anti-aging, or extending life span.  I continue to remain open-minded about the prospects of this being possible, but to this date, I have not found any evidence from studies in humans to verify this is possible.  This is not to say that it is not possible, just not verifiable, YET!

Studies completed on yeast, worms, fruit flies, and numerous other organisms have shown Resveratrol does in fact increase their life span.  So what about human life span? After some research and deep thinking regarding this I have to imagine this is going to be extremely hard to prove.  First off, it would take years to study the effects of anti aging and would require a very large sample set.  For instance, you will have to track this large group of people throughout long periods of their life and up until death.  We are talking 10-25-50+ years depending on when the research begins.  Is that truly feasible?

Life Changing Decision Making: Less Stress equals More Confidence!

The reasons are endless... The reasons for what you might ask?  The reason we "decide" to make a change in our lives, or decide to start taking resveratrol, or start working out.  No matter what your reason is, each and every one of us had to do one thing the same, make a decision.

Decisions are what craft our day, our life, our individual moments.  Let's take resveratrol for example.  If you are here reading this right now then inevitably you first decision was to actively research resveratrol.  Your next next decision might be whether or not you should start taking resveratrol.

Personally for me decision making has always been an interesting mind game.  I tend to over analyze my decisions making it difficult to react quickly, and in a stress free way, to my thoughts.  Not that I am unable to react quickly, I actually find that my gut reaction is the same one I come up with after taking time to make a decision.  So where is the problem?

The problem comes when you aren't confident about your "gut" decision.  I often find myself second guessing a decision and not allowing myself to dive deep into it without always feeling doubt that I am wrong.  If I was correct about my gut decision then I just exposed myself to unnecessary stress.

Many people I've spoken to have similar concerns about making their own decisions.  I've learned without properly training your mind to deal with this you greatly increase the stress in your life.  Others I've spoken with felt similarly, some had solutions and some just ignored the problem all together. 

I've detailed a few simple steps you can take to train your mind into making more efficient "decisions" without the increased stress and anxiety.

Most Recent Cholesterol Results! LDL/HDL ratio introduction!

The results are in!  Tied for the highest level of HDL (48) ever, increased LDL (83) unfortuantely, and a higher Total Cholesterol (161).  Still all within very good ranges!

As I continue researching more on cholesterol I've been introduced to the most recent theory of measuring cholesterol levels.  Instead of using number ranges for each category of measurment the research is showing a more accurate guide is called the LDL/HDL ratio and the Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio.

The LDL/HDL ratio can be calculated by dividing your HDL by your LDL levels.

For example using my levels from my most recent test:

LDL = 83
HDL = 48

83 divided by 48 = 1.73

The Total Cholesterol/LDL ratio can be calculated by dividing your Total Cholesterol by your HDL levels.

Do any women take Resveratrol?

I know what you are thinking... what a ridiculous question!  The fact is I am sure plenty of women take t-res but I've come across only a few in a public forum.  I've been contacted by a couple of women who were looking for more information but I wasn't very comfortable giving any recommendations as my knowledge is limited on its effects on women.

I want to learn more about resveratrol and its effects on women!

If there are any women reading this blog I ask you to please chime in and leave a comment with your personal experiences.  How did you hear about resv?  What are you hoping to get out of it?  Are there any female specific concerns or benefits you've come across or personally experienced?

Feel free to either leave a comment below this post or go to the "Share Your Personal Resveratrol Experience" page and post it there.

Most important I'd like the ability to provide this information to other women who come across this site and for the men who would like to feel comfortable suggesting it.

Here is some information I've found regarding resveratrol and women:

How Important is a Healthy Foundation?

I've been approached by many people all with an interesting question.  They ask, "Do I have to work out to be healthy and for resveratrol to be effective?"  Some people might think this is a "stupid" question, but when you think about the question it's a very valid one.

I used to think the answer was very easy; "Yes, of course you have to workout to be healthy!"  Now that I've had more time to think about my answer I have to say, it's just not that easy.  The answer is still yes, but there is more to it.

Life happens!  Many of us have trouble making time to workout and even when we do "things" come up that make us miss a scheduled workout.  Oh, and as for a good diet, who has time for that?  Most of us have busy lives and wish there were 10 extra hours in each day to get more done.  The fact is we have 24 hours and all the wishing in the world won't change that.

So back to my answer to the question.  Yes, you need to workout, and eat right, to be healthy.  The resveratrol may help us with different aspects of our health but the foundation is still proper training and a good diet.

Let me try and help you out with both the diet and exercise part.  Below I've listed some realistic tips for starting a diet and exercise program.

My Past 5 years blood tests (As promised)

As promised in my series on Cholesterol & Resveratrol I've created a page for my blood test lab results.  I will continue to update this page every time I get a blood test.

I was able to meet with my doctor today and I have to say it's a great benefit to have a Doctor who is open-minded and doesn't think I am nuts (well maybe he does, but aren't we all just a little...) when I bring up resveratrol and other supplementation.  He was actually very open to the ideas of both, had some suggestions, and was interested in learning more.

I should have the results of my next blood test in the next 7-10 days and will post them on this page.  The next set of labs will be with me on resveratrol for 3 months along with 20 mg of Lipitor.  If the results are positive, or at a minimum not any worse, I may try coming off the lipid for 2-3 months as a trial.  I'll let you know what I decide once the results are in.

 

My Personal Cholesterol Experience (Cholesterol Series: Part 3)

Writing this blog has benefited me in ways I did not imagine when I decided to start it.  Taking the time to research topics has been extremely educational and keeps me looking forward to what I might find next.

Researching cholesterol hasn't been any different.  It's an important topic that becomes even more so because high cholesterol is something that affects my life, my family members lives, and I am sure many of you out there.  This research has been educational and eye opening.

I mentioned in my first post on cholesterol I never really spent much time learning about it.  I always put it off or just let my doctor manage it without really knowing why or what high cholesterol was all about.  Well, that is different now!  I now have a foundation of knowledge and hope you do as well.

My personal cholesterol experience: 

Resveratrol vs. High Cholesterol: Does it work? (Part 2)

Over the past few weeks I've been scouring the web in search of research reports where resveratrol was tested to see what affect it had on LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides.

Let me first introduce a new term that I came across in many of the studies I reviewed.  "Hypercholesterolemia" is the fancy word being touted which translates to mean, "high blood cholesterol."  When reading studies and medical journals you will here this term being used rather freely.  For me it's harder to say it then type what it means; high cholesterol seems a bit easier but who am I to say.

A study I found most interesting is one in which both a statin and trans-resveratrol was used in testing.  Statins are cholesterol lowering medications of which the most common are Lipitor and Zocor.  The study used 5 sets of mice that were treated with either statin, trans-resveratrol, both, or nothing at all.

"Statin and Resveratrol in Combination induces Protection against Myocardial Infarction in Hypercholesterolemic Rat"  (references below)

13th Week: Practice what you preach!

If you have followed my journey taking resveratrol you also know I am an advocate of baseline blood tests and medical exams.  Your body isn't a guessing game and there is know way to measure how you are progressing or regressing unless you have a starting point.

I say this (again) because it is time for me to "practice what I preach."  It's been some time since I had a blood work up and I am very interested to see where my numbers are, especially when it comes to my cholesterol. (A little more about that in the upcoming Part 3 of "Can Resveratrol Control Your Cholesterol Levels" series) So I figured if I said it out loud that it would force me to make the appointment and go see the doc.  Yes, even I need some incentive to get myself to the doctors office and blood lab.