Life Extension, Cancer Prevention, Multi-action Formulation-Really?

Most of us have used medications in their life for one health problem or the other, and most of these medications are too specific for a health condition. Rarely, one medicine covers all the aspects of a disease manifestation. At least allopathic medicine has few answers to it. Homeopathic medicine and some of the other natural pathies do act holistically.

What if at least some drugs start working on different body parts and produce more results than expected? Obviously, many of us who somehow cannot break their relationship with medicines will welcome it.

One such multi-action formulation is Resveratrol. Resveratrol (rezv) is a natural substance that is derived from the red grapes, peanuts, berries, roots of a Japanese plant named Ko-jo-kon (polygonum cuspidatum or Japanese Knotweed), and many other food plants. Chemically it is a phytolexin or a polyphenol. It is a compound produced by these plants to fight against various pathogens such as bacteria and fungi.

Resveratrol Benefits for humans:

Experiments have been conducted to see Resveratrol benefits in human beings, and it has been suggested that Resveratrol acts in the following ways to benefit us:

1.    As an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory agent
2.    As an anti-proliferative agent to fight against cancer
3.    As an agent to slow down the aging process by acting as an inhibitor of cell survival signal transduction, by altering the process of apoptosis, and by inhibiting cell cycle progression.
4.    It also acts as an angiogenesis inhibitor.
5.    As an antibacterial agent, antiviral, and antifungal agent in vitro
6.    As a radio-protective agent
7.    As a cardio protective agent
8.    As a protective agent in age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease

Although many of these effects still need to be proven fully in human beings, but the experimental data has shown Resveratrol to be effective in majority of health conditions that deal with cell expression, and synthesis of chemicals in response to some disease factor.

Side Effects:

As far as its side effects are concerned, the experimental data is not sufficient to preclude those. Some studies indicate it to stimulate the growth of human breast cancer cells, while the others find it to be protective in fighting breast cancer.

In a nutshell, till we have the final clinical trials regarding the population based use of Resveratrol, it will be premature to estimate its long-term effects and side effects.