Joseph Maroon, MD

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Bottom Line Heath, September 2009

The Simple Supplement that

May Prevent Killer Diseases

All about resveratrol

When it comes to “hot” supplements, resveratrol is high on the list. Multiple studies conducted on laboratory animals have demonstrated the highly beneficial effects on this polyphenol (a class of plant chemicals), which is found most abundantly in the skins of grapes and in red wine – and now is available in supplement form.

Key animal findings: Resveratrol has been shown not only to enhance muscle strength and reduce fatigue, but also to help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer … clear away the toxic proteins that cause Alzheimer’s disease … and even lengthen life span by 25%.

But can this substance do the same for humans?

AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY

Resveratrol’s emergence as an anti-aging and disease-fighting powerhouse began in the 1930s with a seemingly unrelated finding – that sever calorie restriction extended the lives of rodents by 40 to 50%.

It wasn’t until the 1990s, however, that researchers from Harvard Medical School discovered the genetic basis for the beneficial effect of calorie restriction. Through various experiments in animal studies, calorie restriction was shown to trigger a kind of chain reaction that activates “survival genes” (sirtuins), which, in turn, energize an enzyme (SIR2) that stabilizes DNA. This process slows cellular aging.

In further studies, researchers discovered that resveratrol is one of the most potent sources of the molecules that activate these survival genes.

CURRENT EVIDENCE

To further test resveratrol’s benefits, researchers conducted other animal studies – this time without calorie restriction. Resveratrol and other polyphenols were found to increase the life span of fish by 60% … worms and flies by 30% … and mice by 25% — benefits attributed to improved cellular health.

Resveratrol-enhanced cells are believed to help fight …

Hearth disease and stroke. Resveratrol appears to decrease harmful inflammation, which contributes to cardiovascular disease.

Breakthrough research: A human study showed that drinking one-and-a-half glasses of red wine a day lowered, by 40%, level of lipid peroxide, a by-product of inflammation that damages arteries. This and other health benefits are believed to be due to resveratrol and several other polyphenols in red wine.

Through various animal studies, resveratrol was shown to spark the production of the beneficial gas nitric oxide, which gives blood vessels more flexibility. Resveratrol also thins the blood, reducing the risk for artery-clogging clot. In studies of animals with induced heart attacks, those given resveratrol had a significantly lower fatality rate. In similar studies on stroke, resveratrol prevented paralysis and limited brain injury in animals.

Cancer. Eighteen different types of cancer – including lung, colon, skin, liver, and pancreatic – have been markedly inhibited by resveratrol in laboratory studies using both animal and human cells.

Diabetes. In animals, resveratrol helps normalize blood sugar (glucose) levels by moving glucose out of the bloodstream into cells. Laboratory research also shows that resveratrol reduces diabetic neuropathy (nerve pain that often occurs in the legs and feet).

New finding: In human study, a synthetic, resveratrol-like compound was shown to give people the same type of glucose control that resveratrol gives mice.

Alzheimer’s disease: In animal studies, resveratrol helps remove the amyloid-beta protein that causes the brain damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

New finding: In a study of 90 healthy people, researchers at Marywood University in Scranton found that a supplement containing resveratrol and other polyphenols improved memory and sped up reaction time.

RESVERATROL SOURCES

Even though the preliminary research is promising, there is a caveat. You would have to drink up to 1,150 bottles of red wine daily to get the amount of resveratrol used in most animal studies.

Since that’s not feasible, I recommend a more practical approach that includes two things – a regular diet of resveratrol and polyphenol-rich foods (the resveratrol is far lower than the doses used in animal studies, but these foods contain other beneficial compounds that may enhanced absorption of resveratrol from food and/or supplements) … and the use of a mixed polyphenol supplement or a resveratrol supplement.

That synergy – along with regular exercise and a lifestyle that includes the heath-promoting effects of close emotional ties with family and friends – is your best bet for fighting chronic disease and living longer. My advice …

Eat a polyphenol-rich diet. Resveratrol is the superstar of polyphenols, but many scientists think that a combination of polyphenols – ingesting them together, as they are found in nature – is the best way to activate survival genes.

The foods richest in resveratrol and a variety of other polyphenols …

Red wine or red grape juice. These are the top dietary sources of resveratrol. Important: Wine grapes with the most resveratrol include pinot noir, merlot, Grenache, cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo. (These wines also deliver up to about 500 different polyphenols along with resveratrol.) Suggested daily intake: Four to 16 ounces of red grape juice daily (be mindful of the sugar content). Up to 12 ounces of red wine daily for men … and no more than six ounces daily for women (the potential health benefit of daily wine consumption by women must be weighed against a possible increase in breast cancer risk).

Pomegranate juice. It is a good source of resveratrol and many other antioxidants. Suggested daily intake:  Three to five ounces.

Dark chocolate. It is a rich source of concentrated flavonols, a potent type of polyphenol. Select unsweetened or semi-sweetened varieties with at least 70% cocoa. Suggested inake: One bite-sized square.

Green tea. Green tea contains resveratrol and is rich in epigallo-catechin gallate (EGCG) and other polyphenols. Suggested daily intake: Three eight-ounce cups. Decaffeinated green tea contains EGCG but relatively little resveratrol.

Blueberries. They are rich in procyanidins and other polyphenols. Suggested daily intake: At least one cup (fresh or frozen).

Take a mixed-polyphenol supplement. I recommend the mixed polyphenol supplement Vindure 900, a product developed by Vinomis Laboratories based on Harvard University research. Vindure is available from Vinomis Laboratories (877-484-6664, www.vinomis.com). Cost: $40 for 30 tablets. Follow the dosage recommendation on the label.

Because resveratrol absorption is though to be enhanced when combined with other natural polyphenols, a mixed-polyphenol supplement is best.

However, an alternative is to …

Take a resveratrol supplement. There are more than 300 resveratrol-containing products now available. The best products are made with trans-resveratrol (the active form of the substance shown by professional testing to activate the sirtuin “survival genes”) … and produced by manufacturers who comply with “Good Manufacturing Practices” (GMP), which ensures that the product contains no major contaminants.

My favorite resveratrol products are manufactured by …

Longevinex, www.longevinex.com, 866-405-4000 … 30 capsules for $37.

RevGenetics, at www.myrevgenetics.com, 888-738-4363 … 30 capsules for $43.

Suggested intake for most resveratrol supplements: 250 mg to 500 mg daily.

Bottom Line/Health interviewed Joseph Maroon, MD a professor of neurological surgery and Heindl Scholar in Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is the author of The Longevity Factor: How Resveratrol and Red Wine Activate Genes for a Longer and Healthier Life (Atria). www.josephmaroon.com.  

READ ARTICLE in Neutraceutical World – Click Here

‘Stressed Plant’ Technology Comes to Fruition

 

Vindure 900 is billed to contain the highest dosage of Resveratrol on the market.

 

By Joanna Cosgrove 
Online Editor

 

Last November, Nutraceuticals World detailed how Pittsburgh, PA-based Xenomis LLC had licensed Harvard Medical School’s “Stressed Plant” technology with the goal of developing cutting edge resveratrol supplement applications. Flash forward to the present and there is a new supplement that boasts the highest resveratrol content of any product currently on the market. 

The product evolved out of the phenomenon known as “The French Paradox,” whereby the French live longer and healthier than Americans, despite a high saturated fat, high calorie diet, thanks apparently to the consumption of red wine. In 2003, a team of researchers at Harvard Medical School “broke the code” and discovered that 19 polyphenols activate the “SIRT” genes, and 17 of these are found in red grapes and red wine. SIRT genes produce the Sirtuin enzymes which play a key role in the aging process, and prevent many of the diseases related to aging such as diabetes, cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and others.

The Harvard Medical School researchers concluded that two of the most powerful SIRT activators were Resveratrol and Quercetin. Together with an advisory board of distinguished physicians and researchers, Sewickley, PA-based Vinomis Laboratories, a spinoff company of Xenomis LLC, developed an ideal combination of these ingredients, a product called Vindure 900.

Launched in mid-June, the product is a powerful antioxidant cocktail containing 400 mg of 98% pure Resveratrol, 400 mg of red wine grape extract from Bordeaux, France, and 100 mg of high-purity Quercetin which, in addition to its own benefits, enhances the bio-availability of the Resveratrol, keeping it in the bloodstream longer. The formulation provides more than 900 mg of active ingredients in a one-per-day coated tablet.

The company said the product is “the equivalent of 100 bottles of red wine,” sans the alcohol or calories.

“[It] is the combination of Resveratrol, Quercetin and Red Wine grape polyphenols that provide the health benefits and increase the bioavailability,” explained Mark Juliano, president, Vinomis Laboratories. He added that the source of the pure resveratrol is 98% pure Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese Knotweed), as well as that contained in the Red Wine grape extract. “This is a very expensive ingredient at over $700 per kg. Most resveratrol is either synthetic, or is only 50% pure (of course it’s the ‘other’ 50% that’s the impurities),” he said.

Independent tests conducted by Brunswick Laboratories of Norton, MA, measured the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of Vindure at 19,638, which is more thansix times times over the USDA recommended daily consumption of at least 3000 ORAC units—roughly equal to eight times the amount of antioxidants in a glass of pomegranate juice.

Clinical Support

One of the most exciting aspects of the product, according to Mr. Juliano, is the breadth of support it has received from human clinical trials. Most notably, in 2006 Dr. James Smoliga, professor of Exercise Physiology, College of Health and Human Services at Marywood University, studied the product’s exact combination of ingredients on human subjects. He reported that the subjects showed “dramatic increases in strength, endurance and memory/cognition.”

The Vinomis team is also eagerly awaiting the results from two current studies. Dr. Smoliga is presently testing Naturex Powergrape (which Mr. Juliano characterized as a key part of Vinomis’ grape extract), but plans a “follow on study” with Vindure 900 as it relates to endurance in human athletes. Strength, endurance, memory plus sirtuin levels, sugar levels and other biomarkers will all be examined.

Dr. Bryan Donohue, chief of cardiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Dr. Joseph Baur of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine’s Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Department of Physiology, are also studying pre- and post-Vindure 900 sugar, cholesterol, Sirtuin and Resveratrol levels in human blood.

Regarding Vindure 900 patient results, Mr. Juliano said the company has been collecting patient results through a select group of doctors for several months. “We all know the long-term benefits of Resveratrol, Quercetin and Red Wine grape extracts, but we’re also getting a number of short-term results,” he said. The company’s study is ongoing, however the results so far confirm that more than 50% of patients report that after taking Vindure 2-4 weeks they’ve experienced “increased energy level (80%+), improved mental clarity, improved mood level (elimination of depression in some cases), lower appetite and weight loss.”

He added that there have also been reports of “moderation and/or lowering of blood sugar levels, lowering of cholesterol levels, [and] increased urination on patient with prostrate issues.” The only side effects noted are less sleep, though the patients attributed it to increased energy levels. “This effect is eliminated if patients take Vindure 900 in the morning,” said Mr. Juliano, and he added that the product should be taken with food.

Vindure 900 is being marketed primarily toward consumers (especially athletes and Baby Boomers) seeking to alleviate “age-related diseases” while benefitting from “increased energy” and “improved cognition.” The product is also targeting high-risk patients with elevated cholesterol, lipid and blood sugar levels via physician recommendations.

Vindure 900 is sold on Vinomis’ website, through doctors and in select pharmacies. A 30-day supply of the product (30 tablets) retails for $39.95. Mr. Juliano said there are also “deals in the works” with major nutritional supplement chains.

Vindure 900 is manufacturerd in the U.S. for Vinomis by Nutra Manufacturing of Greenville, SC, a subsidiary of General Nutrition Centers (GNC). The facility is certified by FDA, Australian TGA, USP and NSF, and complies with the latest GMPs.

Mr. Juliano and his partners—Bill Watts, formerly the CEO of GNC, David Sculley, formerly the CEO of Heinz, Dr. Brian Donohue and Dr. Joseph Maroon, Chief of Neurosurgery, UPMC—are keenly aware that consumers prefer proof over empty promises when it comes to nutritional supplements and are eager to see how the public receives their flagship Vindure 900 product. For more information about the science supporting the product, logon to Vinomis Laboratories’ website.

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As Dr. Joseph Maroon would say, in his The Longevity Factor book, “what is a person to do? Drink wine, eat dark chocolate, sip green tea, eat an apple a day, take concentrated grape skin product or resveratrol supplement from a reputable company [such as Vinomis], and pursue balance in one’s daily diet and life.”

There are many lists on the Internet of foods and drinks rich in Resveratrol and Polyphenols, which increase Sirtuin gene activity. Here is a partial list of the best foods:

• Red Wine
• Red/Black Grapes
• Eggplant
• Cherries
• Blueberries
• Dark Chocolate (70%+ cocoa)
• Green Tea
• Pomegranate
• Cranberry
• Coffee Bean
• Strawberries
• Juices from the Fruits listed above

Note that all are also rich in Antioxidants.

For Resveratrol and other polyphenols, sulfur and sugar-like molecules attach themselves to the polyphenols, which lessens the “free” resveratrol left to circulate in the blood. Despite this phenomenon, Dr. Walle of the Medical University of South Carolina found that the resveratrol attached to the sugar-like molecules stayed in the blood stream for a long time. 

Several scientific studies have shown and confirmed that Quercetin inhibits the attachment of the sulfur molecules to Resveratrol in the liver, thereby increasing the amount of Resveratrol available in the bloodstream. Quercetin was also discovered to be only 2nd to Resveratrol in increasing Sirtuin (SIRT) genes and enzymes.

It can thus be concluded that not only are plant and red wine polyphenols both bioactive themselves, they are synergistic with others such as Resveratrol in promoting their health benefits.

According to Dr. Joseph Maroon in his book The Longevity Factor, ”optimal absorption and benefit appear to occur when Resveratrol is included with other polyphenols like quercetin.” 

For these reasons, Vindure 900 includes not only a high Resveratrol Dosage (400 mg), but also high dosages of Red Wine grape polyphenols (400 mg) and Quercetin (100 mg)

CLICK HERE to Purchase Vindure 900

Find out what it’s like to envision, create, and bring to market a real, high quality nutraceutical product.

Check it out.

http://www.vinomis.com/resveratrollife

or

http://www.vinomis.com/startuplife

Also READ:

• Resveratrol Dosage Recommendations from Scientists
• Resveratrol Dosage

You will read information on Resveratrol Dosage that tries to determine the correct Human dosage for Resveratrol from animal studies. While this is one way to approach the problem, it’s very inexact. It’s not as simple as using body weight in a (mg/pound) formula. There are many other factors including metabolism of the animal/human, etc. The best way to determine human dosage is to give it to humans — which is what we at Vinomis Laboratories did in our human clinical trials with Dr. James Smoliga (4oo mg Resveratrol, 400 mg Red Wine Extract, 100 mg Quercetin)

[MOUSE Study -- For an 80 kg (176 lb) person, the 400 mg/kg of body weight amount used in Auwerx's mouse study would come to 32,000 mg/day. Compensating for the fact that humans have slower metabolic rates than mice would change the equivalent human dose to roughly 4571 mg/day.]

The good news it that there have been several “toxicity” studies done on Resveratrol, and even at extremely high dosages (5,000 – 50,000 mg per day) there was no toxicity measured in humans.

The highest-end resveratrol supplements recommend between 400 – 1,000 mg. Note that the 1,000 mg products are actually 2 capsules, so you can always take 2 of the 400/500 mg capsules-tablets-caplets. Vindure 900 Supplement Facts

Related to this must be a discussion of bioavailability. This term refers to how “available” the Resveratrol is in the human blood stream. Numerous studies have shown that the addition of Quercetin and Red Wine Grape polyphenols significantly increase the bioavailability and keep the Resveratrol in the blood stream longer. 

Click Here to purchase Vindure 900

The Tribune-Review of Trib Total Media, wrote an article on Vinomis on July 8, 2009.

Sewickley company’s red-grape-based pills draw consumers by Kim Leonard, TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Excerpt:

A Sewickley company started by a group of local business executives and medical professionals is selling a dietary supplement packed with extracts from red-wine grapes and other plants — along with some hefty hints about health benefits.

Vinomis Laboratories released its Vindure 900 tablets in late June on the company’s Web site.

READ Entire Article — Click Here

Click Here to purchase Vindure 900