Last month, Peter van der Voort, head of Intensive Care at UMC Groningen, told in the TV talk show Jinek about the health benefits of resveratrol. Ever since, there has been a run on resveratrol supplements. But what exactly is resveratrol? You read it in this article.
What is Resveratrol?
Resveratrol is a polyphenol, which is found in various plant species, but especially in the peel of fruit. The plant produces this to protect itself against harmful external influences, such as fungi, viruses, bacteria and UV radiation. We also call this group of substances phytoalexins. Resveratrol is mainly found in (the skin of) blue and red grapes. It is also found in dates, chocolate, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, soy and peanuts. Choose organic fruit and vegetables, because they contain more polyphenols and phytoalexins.
Red wine also contains resveratrol, but a handful of grapes contain more and the benefit does not outweigh the disadvantages of the alcohol that wine contains. Since peanuts are rich in resveratrol, natural peanut butter (without additives and made exclusively from peanuts) is also a good source. However, the amounts in food are very small. To get 200mg of resveratrol you would have to eat 160 pounds of grapes or 1400 pounds of peanuts. Therefore, resveratrol comes in supplement form ranging from 200 to 500mg to combat complaints or preventively. Resveratrol is also contained in the natural ingredient Powergrape®, which is effective in physical performance and can aid recovery and boost energy and performance levels. Read more about Powergrape® here.
Health effects of resveratrol
The Indian traditional herbal medicine Ayurveda has been using medicines for thousands of years with the main active ingredient resveratrol. But what is the efficacy? More than 20,000 scientific studies have been conducted on the efficacy of resveratrol. Resveratrol is a very powerful antioxidant and appears to be especially beneficial for the heart and blood vessels: it can counteract the oxidation of cholesterol, improve blood flow and lower blood pressure. It can also improve insulin sensitivity and resveratrol is able to lower inflammation in the body.
Resveratrol and Leptin
Leptin is also called the satiety hormone, it provides a full feeling. Overweight people basically have high levels of leptin, but the leptin signal doesn’t work, this is called leptin resistance. Resveratrol is thought to lower leptin in the blood and to counteract leptin resistance. In addition, a high level of leptin in the blood is linked to chronic inflammation in the body.