Is Resveratrol Safe? A Look at the Facts
More proof that drug companies should not mess with nature.
They are continuously trying to copy nutrients and chemicals found in nature; failing miserably and then blaming the natural compound instead of themselves.
Then they tout how dangerous the natural component is simply because their "form" of it became toxic and they could not replicate the safety of the ingredient as found in the natural form.
When drug companies try to synthesize a natural compound to sell for a quick profit, no one wins.
This was the case recently with resveratrol.
Resveratrol is a chemical compound found naturally in certain plants, most especially in special grape seeds.
These plants produce it as an antibiotic to fight bacteria and fungi.
Researchers found that in its natural form, resveratrol can slow the effects of aging.
When a drug company tried to synthesize this compound they failed to create a safe product.
On May 4, 2010 GlaxoSmithKline announced they were suspending a clinical trial of their resveratrol drug because of safety concerns.
Some articles written about this suggested that all people taking resveratrol supplements should proceed with care or even discontinue until the safety issues could be checked out.
Here is the problem: The "resveratrol" they were referring to is NOT the natural form of resveratrol itself.
They are referring to a synthetic "resveratrol" drug they could not perfect and get to perform like the natural version.
Let's start at the beginning.
Scientists at Harvard were looking for an anti-aging drug they could patent and sell for big money.
They screened over 500,000 chemicals to find which ones would be the best at triggering anti-aging genes.
They found a nutrient, called resveratrol, found naturally in special grapes including the seeds and red wine.
It was the most effective compound they had at turning on the anti-aging genes and tried to copy it.
They proved that natural resveratrol turned on the anti-aging genes but could not patent and sell it to a drug company.
What they did was part of the normal process at getting around this problem; created a chemical derivative of natural resveratrol called SRT501.
Their tests showed it too turned on the anti-aging genes and were able to patent it.
After getting the patent it was sold to Sirtris Pharmaceuticals for five hundred million dollars, who then sold it to GlaxoSmithKline for seven hundred twenty million dollars.
This process has pitfalls of its own.
Chemically modified derivatives on a whole are not metabolized the same way as the natural and is usually toxic to our systems.
That is why the failure rate is so high among most chemical derivative clinical trials.
Only a small few synthetic concoctions actually become successful drugs; and we should all be happy about that.
Chemical, synthetic, anything man-made that tries to copy and twist nature is bound to fail eventually.
The best way to get anti-aging benefits is to eat a wide variety of deeply colored fruits and vegetables along with healthy proteins and carbs and or supplementation along with a healthy diet, never from a synthetic snake oil concoction.
Nature has all the elements we need to sustain our health.
All we have to do is think about what we put into our bodies and how we take care of ourselves.
They are continuously trying to copy nutrients and chemicals found in nature; failing miserably and then blaming the natural compound instead of themselves.
Then they tout how dangerous the natural component is simply because their "form" of it became toxic and they could not replicate the safety of the ingredient as found in the natural form.
When drug companies try to synthesize a natural compound to sell for a quick profit, no one wins.
This was the case recently with resveratrol.
Resveratrol is a chemical compound found naturally in certain plants, most especially in special grape seeds.
These plants produce it as an antibiotic to fight bacteria and fungi.
Researchers found that in its natural form, resveratrol can slow the effects of aging.
When a drug company tried to synthesize this compound they failed to create a safe product.
On May 4, 2010 GlaxoSmithKline announced they were suspending a clinical trial of their resveratrol drug because of safety concerns.
Some articles written about this suggested that all people taking resveratrol supplements should proceed with care or even discontinue until the safety issues could be checked out.
Here is the problem: The "resveratrol" they were referring to is NOT the natural form of resveratrol itself.
They are referring to a synthetic "resveratrol" drug they could not perfect and get to perform like the natural version.
Let's start at the beginning.
Scientists at Harvard were looking for an anti-aging drug they could patent and sell for big money.
They screened over 500,000 chemicals to find which ones would be the best at triggering anti-aging genes.
They found a nutrient, called resveratrol, found naturally in special grapes including the seeds and red wine.
It was the most effective compound they had at turning on the anti-aging genes and tried to copy it.
They proved that natural resveratrol turned on the anti-aging genes but could not patent and sell it to a drug company.
What they did was part of the normal process at getting around this problem; created a chemical derivative of natural resveratrol called SRT501.
Their tests showed it too turned on the anti-aging genes and were able to patent it.
After getting the patent it was sold to Sirtris Pharmaceuticals for five hundred million dollars, who then sold it to GlaxoSmithKline for seven hundred twenty million dollars.
This process has pitfalls of its own.
Chemically modified derivatives on a whole are not metabolized the same way as the natural and is usually toxic to our systems.
That is why the failure rate is so high among most chemical derivative clinical trials.
Only a small few synthetic concoctions actually become successful drugs; and we should all be happy about that.
Chemical, synthetic, anything man-made that tries to copy and twist nature is bound to fail eventually.
The best way to get anti-aging benefits is to eat a wide variety of deeply colored fruits and vegetables along with healthy proteins and carbs and or supplementation along with a healthy diet, never from a synthetic snake oil concoction.
Nature has all the elements we need to sustain our health.
All we have to do is think about what we put into our bodies and how we take care of ourselves.
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