FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where Can You Buy Resveratrol?

Resveratrol is available in most any drug store like CVS, Walgreens or even Kroger. It’s in the nutritional supplements section and can be bought in many different doses and purities.

What you need to look for in a resveratrol supplement, as you do in any antioxidant supplement, is the supplement’s proximity to oxygen. Antioxidants are only good for you if the extra electron they carry hasn’t already been donated to another molecule. This process is called the nullification of free radicals. If the antioxidants in the supplement are close to oxygen, they’ll stop the free radicals in the air before they get in your body – where they’ll be useless.

If you’re going to get a pill, which I’d advise against, look for one that is either nitrogen filled or comes in a blister pak where each pill is sealed by foil. If you’re going to get a liquid, get one that is individually packaged so you don’t oxidize the whole thing once you open it – the same thing goes for powders.

Also, don’t limit yourself to resveratrol only. The theory of antiaging and all the health benefits are modeled after red wine. And red wine has many antioxidants and polyphenols like OPC’s. You may look for a red wine extract supplement, or a super antioxidant supplement like OPC Factor which has all the antioxidants of red wine.

All are available on-line and in stores.

Does Grape Juice Have Resveratrol?

from Sources of Resveratrol

“Juice and wines made with red/purple grapes provide the most resveratrol. The amount of resveratrol red wine and grape juice have is largely dependent on the duration the grape skins remain in the production process. According to LeRoy Creasy, Professor of Pomology at Cornell University, grape juice is not only a very consistent source of resveratrol – but grape juice has more resveratrol than 60% of all wines. Creasy indicates that red wine vinegar is another source of resveratrol, but not as concentrated.”

I’m sorry for copying it, but it seemed like the easiest way to answer your question.

I would caution you from attempting to get your nutrients from grape juice. For one, the nutrients in grape juice revolve almost entirely around antioxidants. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, resveratrol, OPC’s, etc. . . they’re all antioxidants. That means that their molecules are able to donate electrons to unstable molecules. The unstable ones are called free radicals – and they cause lots of damage.

I caution you because grape juice is sold in jugs. Once you open that jug, the oxidation begins and the antioxidants start nullifying the free radicals in the air, long before they make it to your tummy. So after your third or fourth time opening the jug – you end with a sugary drink – not a nutrient powerhouse. The resveratrol and vitamins are still there, they just can’t do what they’re designed to do – twice.

Complement your diet with a glass of wine a few times per week or a resveratrol supplement. (and don’t forget that peanuts, blueberries and cranberries are great sources of resveratrol, too.)

What Are The Health Benefits of A Resveratrol Supplement

This question can be answered two ways, but I’m going to assume you want to know what health benefits a person derives from taking a resveratrol supplement. (The other way is to tell you the benefits of a resveratrol supplement over another kind of supplement.)

I spend close to 60 pages on my website www.benefits-of-resveratrol.com talking about this very question, but will attempt to help you in just a few words. Let’s start with a list: increased endurance, longer life, more focus, prevention of alzheimers, cessation of flu cell reproduction, reduced chance for disease, death of cancer cells. . . and really many, many more.

But the bottom line is: resveratrol is a very effective antioxidant capable of stopping millions of free radicals from causing damage to your body. An antioxidant is a molecule that either carries and extra electron OR is stable without all its necessary electrons. Free radicals, on the other hand, are molecules that are unstable without all their necessary electrons. They cause damage to healthy cells when they “bounce and hit them” in their search for an electron to steal.

Stopping this damage from occurring means stopping the start of disease. Damaged, healthy cells that can no longer rid themselves of their own cellular waste are the root of disease, aging and a weakened immune system. By solving the free radical problem, resveratrol (and other super antioxidants) helps your body work the way it is meant to.

What Brand Name Red Wine Has The Highest Concentration of Resveratrol?

I think I can be more specific for you, but let’s start out with generalities. The above answers were correct in that resveratrol is produced by grapes under duress, fighting bacteria or battling fungus. It’s a plant antioxidant.

Sometimes you can find on a vintner’s website how long the skins were left with the wine before being filtered out. 8 – 10 days seems to be the longest, if you see that you’re in business.

So with that you can narrow the list of healthiest wines to:
Europe
North America
Asia

South Africa, South America and Australia are just to warm, compared to the ills that northern grapes battle.

Second the healthiest grapes traditionally recognized are:

  • The Cannonau Grapes from The Nuoro Province in Sardinia
  • Nebbiolo Grapes from the Lombardy region of Italy
  • Tannat Grapes from the Madiran Region of France
  • Sagratino Grapes from Tuscany, Italy
  • Cabarnet Sauvignon Grapes from the Chile or Argentina
  • and surprisingly Dark Muscadine Grapes from North Carolina

(Notice where the grapes come from.) According to LifeStyleWines and the Wine Spectator, the following list get 5 stars for being the healthiest:

–Charles de Batz 2004 Mariran Rouge Rated 91/100 by Wine Spectator and given 5 Heart Healthy Stars by LifeStyleWines.com. This wine is so rich in procyanidins, it’s a red-pruple color – almost black.
—Domaine Moureou Madiran 2004 – 80% Tannat, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
—Chateau Montauriol Traditiona Fronton 2006 – A Fronton wine with soft tannins
—Cedrus AOC Cahors 2006- 90% Malbec and 10% Merlot
—Ode d’Aydie Madiran 2004

Finally organic wines, or wines produced with organic grapes, will likely have higher resveratrol content than traditional wines because they are grown without the help of chemicals. Anything that kills bacteria and disease before the grapes have to fight it will reduce the resveratrol content.

What Company Bought The Rights To Resveratrol

I’m not sure what you’re asking is possible. Resveratrol is a nutrient like Vitamin A or magnesium. It’s found in the skin of grapes, in peanuts, cranberries, blueberries and Japanese Knotweed.

It’s possible that a company bought the rights to a resveratrol extraction process, or a trade name or a supplement design – but it’s not possible to buy the rights to an antioxidant, vitamin, mineral, herb or enzyme.

Is Resveratrol Safe?

Resveratrol is very safe. In fact there have been no reported problems with people taking resveratrol, eating peanuts, blueberries, cranberries, japanese knotweed or drinking grape juice or wine.

Well, there have been problems with people drinking wine and eating peanuts, but those are unrelated to the resveratrol content. 🙂

Like other antioxidants, resveratrol is a great addition to your daily nutrition. Consider a resveratrol supplement, a handful of nuts, a glass of wine or some fresh blueberries.

How Much Resveratrol Should I Take?

As in all supplements, you should read the directions on the packaging – or consult a physician.

Otherwise, resveratrol is very safe. In fact there have been no reported problems with people taking resveratrol, eating peanuts, blueberries, cranberries, japanese knotweed or drinking grape juice or wine.

Well, there have been problems with people drinking wine and eating peanuts, but those are unrelated to the resveratrol content. 🙂

Most supplements have around 250 mg of resveratrol. You can find 500 mg ones if you look hard.

If you are taking a resveratrol powder supplement, make sure that it’s sold in individual servings.(OPC Factor is the only one I know that does this – but I’m sure there are others).

Resveratrol is an antioxidant and will oxidize once in the presence of oxygen. If you get a tub of resveratrol powder, it will be much less viable after each time you open the jug. That means a 250 mg scoop will contain much less than that once you get down to the last few scoops.

What is the function of an antioxidant?

An antioxidant, like resveratrol, is any molecule that is stable with or without all its necessary electrons. A free radical, on the other hand, is a molecule that is unstable when it loses an electron.

The purpose of an antioxidant is to donate one of its electrons to the unstable free radicals. Once it has done that, both molecules are stable.

An unstable free radical causes damage to nearby healthy cells when it “bounces” around looking for an electron to steal. A damaged healthy cell is the cause of aging, illness and disease.

Antioxidants, therefore, are nature’s solution to that problem.

Is Red Wine a Good Antioxidant?

Red Wine CONTAINS great antioxidants, but is not itself an antioxidant. Resveratrol, OPC’s, polyphenols – they’re all in red wine. Because red wine is sealed off by the cork, it’s a better antioxidant vehicle than most because the antioxidants aren’t oxidized prior to uncorking the bottle.

For more information go to the Antioxidant Facts page or the Chemical Composition of Wine page where you can see all the antioxidants listed.

Author: Dan R Morris

Take Me To The Resveratrol Supplements Page

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