Organic grapes and wine in Tuscany
After a conversation I had with a colleague in Italy, I began to wonder if there really was something special about the compound resveratrol, found in the skin of grapes and red wine. Resveratrol serves an important function in grapes helping protect this fruit from invasion by bacteria and fungi. And, my colleague said they consider resveratrol an anti-aging compound and one of the reasons people in Southern Italy have beautiful skin despite significant sun exposure. If resveratrol can protect skin cells, can it slow down the aging process in other cells and potentially benefit muscle tissue?
Studies in mice show that resveratrol can slow down the aging process and enhance motor coordination in older mice. In addition, mice on a high fat diet supplemented with resveratrol didn’t gain as much weight, ran further on the treadmill and lived longer than the group of control mice. Resveratrol may work, in part, by boosting enzyme activity in the mitochondria (power house) of muscle cells.
Though there are a few promising studies in mice, it’s way to early to start popping resveratrol pills in hopes of waking up one day looking 10 years younger and running a PR. However, you can include natural sources of this compound in your diet by consuming grapes, red wine (in moderation), Concord grape juice, peanuts, blueberries, bilberries and cranberries. Just like wine varies in taste based on the grapes used, region it was produced in and climate conditions, resveratrol content also varies based on some environmental factors.
