Resveratrol Redux

As a follow up to my article on Resveratrol (the anti-oxidant in wine) here was an exchange with founder and CEO of Crushpad Michael Brill. When you get a chance check out Crushpad's web site. A very interesting concept in winemaking.

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Q:

JP,

What’s your take on the amount of resveratrol required to have a beneficial effect? I’d read that the amount found even in very tannic red wines is modest and there is some skepticism that there is enough concentration to have an impact.

Michael Brill
Crushpad, Inc.
415-902-7097
www.crushpadwine.com

A:

Mike,

In order to understand how much resveratrol is in wine, one must realize that resveratrol is a natural substance made by grapes and other plants (peanuts and others) in response to fungal infection. How much resveratrol is in a glass of wine depends, first, on whether the grapes were grown organically, and, second, how the wine was made. Grapes sprayed with pesticides that prevent fungal infection contain little, if any, resveratrol. Wines grown in dry climates have less resveratrol than those grown in humid areas. Red wines contain more than white because of how red wine is made. The end result of all of this is that organic red wines from certain areas of Europe contain the highest level of resveratrol. But most wines contain either no resveratrol at all, or very little (less than a milligram per glass).

The only sure way to obtain a certain amount of resveratrol daily is to take a standardized extract. Standardization ensures a consistent amount of resveratrol with consistent high quality. The finest resveratrol available comes from Europe. It is made from organic French grapes known for their high resveratrol content. The resveratrol is carefully extracted to retain other compounds (polyphenols) that naturally occur with it. This pharmaceutical wine extract is often enhanced with resveratrol extracted from the roots of a medicinal plant (Polygonnum cuspidatum) used for centuries in Asia for the treatment of inflammation, heart, blood vessel and liver disease, skin and lipid problems. The result is a product that retains the active parts of wine in a natural balance with increased potency and consistent quality. Source: LEF

An effective dose is 180mg/d found in capsules of standardized extract according to the research in mice. The corresonding weight based dose in mice showed cardioprotection. Some animal studies used twice this dose. Source: Bill Sardi

A fluid ounce of red wine averages 160 µg (micro-grams) of resveratrol. Source: Melissa Q.B. McElderry, M.S., R.D.

While reds have more resveratrol (res) than do whites the reason is that res concentrations are in the skins and thus wine with more contact with skins is a better source. As far as varietals go some research shows that the native muscadine grape has the highest levels because unlike Vitis vinifera and Vitis labrusca grapes muscadine berries contain very high concentrations of res in the seeds, the others don't. Thus organically grown muscadines in a humid southern climate can yield the highest res concentrations. Source: Am. J. Enol. Vitic.

Currently anywhere between 40-160mg resveratrol capsules are made by several companies. That is a far greater concentration than the average couple of glasses of red wine that is safe to consume each day. Source: LEF.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

JP Saleeby, MD
(800) 965-8482
www.saleeby.net