by Lyn Carew

Few have heard of this new nutritional buzzword called resveratrol, but many have danced to the Bee Gees famous disco song "Stayin' Alive." So what do the two have in common? They both address one of our greatest desires - to stay alive as long as possible, at least as long as we are healthy.

Resveratrol is a chemical substance found in many foods such as cranberries, peanuts, and dark fruits, and it is increasingly promoted as a new "magic bullet" to lengthen your life span. The original impetus to study this strange chemical came from a long-standing nutritional controversy called the "French Paradox." The French Paradox addresses the nutritional fact that people in France have less heart disease and live longer than we do, in spite of the fact that they eat a lot more rich, creamy, and buttery foods. If you have followed French cooking at all, you know they use fatty, high-energy ingredients in many recipes.

In looking for an answer to the French Paradox one possibility that quickly came to mind was that the French also drink a lot of red wine. And yes, red wine contains a fair amount of resveratrol - and resveratrol was found to increase the lifespan of yeast. Could sumptuous consumption of red wine be the answer? So, from this very positive correlation between the French drinking red wine, its resveratrol content and a longer life in yeast, it looked like everyone should mimic the French and drink lots of red wine to live longer - let's have a glass at breakfast, lunch and dinner! Actually, resveratrol was discovered in the 1940's long before the French Paradox surfaced. It's an antioxidant, but it also seems to act as an antibiotic in plants to help them fight infections. Thankfully, grapes themselves contain resveratrol, so you don't have to live with a life-long alcoholic buzz on in order to get resveratrol. A glass of grape juice should do just fine.

As nice and logical as this story sounded, serious questions arose. First of all, most of the research showing that resveratrol improves health and increases longevity had been done in lower animals, from worms to mice. Well, that's nice for mice, but what about men? No long-term studies have been done in humans, neither men nor women. Secondly, it would take the equivalent of several hundred glasses of red wine (or grape juice) per day to supply the high amount of resveratrol that seemed to work in these animals. So, poof, there goes the French Paradox theory. I've never seen any of my French friends drink that much!

Resveratrol has been extracted from plants and can be purchased in pill form in high amounts. It's sold to improve your health and extend your lifespan. But what about its safety? A couple of small studies in people suggest that it's safe; however, there are no data about its long-term effects. I'm reminded of the widespread use many years ago of the plant, comfrey. Its leaves and roots were thought to be very healthful as components of salads and teas, and you could easily grow it in your garden. Many people used it. It was a natural herbal plant, so of course it was considered safe. Then a Japanese study found that comfrey contains toxins (one called symphytine) which cause liver cancer. Well, resveratrol may not be symphytine, but we don't know much about its effects in humans. Maybe we should just stick with a little wine or grape juice now and then and not be tempted by "magic bullets." After all bullets do kill...
So, we have to make good decisions about stayin' alive. Maybe it would be better to dance to the Bee Gees' disco music than take a resveratrol pill. Disco dancing like John Travolta in the movie "Saturday Night Fever" would probably extend our lifespan much longer than any magic bullet could. Try that!

As a professor of Animal Science and Nutrition and Food Sciences at UVM, Shelburne resident, Lyn Carew, has taught more than 20,000 students. He has received many teaching awards at UVM, plus two national recognitions. He was named Carnegie Foundation Vermont Teacher of the Year in 2001. The Shelburne News is pleased to be able to share Lyn Carew's expertise in the latest nutritional information with our readers once a month.