A new study has found that Resveratrol, a compound extracted from red grapes, improves health and prevents age-related deterioration but does not increase overall longevity.

The study, a collaborative effort between the Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology at the NIA and Glenn Laboratories for Molecular Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical School, tested the results of Resveratrol on mice. Resveratrol prevented the onset of age-related diseases and mice which had been fed the drug showed a considerable improvement in cardiovascular function that other mice of the same age. They also had better balance and motor co-ordination, thicker bone density and a decrease in the onset of cataracts.

Perhaps the most interesting find was that Resveratrol mimiced some of the consequences of calorie restriction. Mice treated with Resveratrol reacted in a similar way to mice that had been given a low-calorie diet. However, Resveratrol did not have an effect on how long the mice lived.

"We are learning a great deal about how resveratrol affects the health and survival of mammals," said David A. Sinclair, Ph.D., of the Glenn Laboratories for Molecular Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical Schoo "Continued study of calorie restriction mimetics such as resveratrol may eventually point the way to new medicines to treat diseases of aging."

Read the complete report here.

In our research of Blue Zones populations we found that the long-living people of Sardinia regularly drink the regions wine which is high in anti-oxidants and made of red grapes -- the source of Resveratrol. So deciding to use Resveratrol is your choice but we've always recommended moderate usage of Sardinian wine.

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