Blood Sugar/Glucose Metabolism

Leveraging Probiotics for Weight Loss

Obesity is one of the most common health conditions throughout the world. Being overweight can lead to a host of chronic medical conditions that may shorten your life expectancy and cause serious issues as you age. As such, the medical community is always looking for ways to combat this growing health crisis. In recent years, the use of probiotics has emerged as a potential way to encourage weight loss and live a healthier lifestyle. Here is what you need to know about probiotics and how you can leverage this to shed that weight once and for all.

What Are Probiotics?

To understand how to use probiotics for weight loss, you need to learn more about these live microorganisms. Some foods boast naturally occurring probiotics while other products intentionally include this feature for health purposes. The most common way that most people get their probiotics is through the use of dedicated supplements. These supplements offer significant doses of live bacteria, most commonly in the form of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. These live bacteria are primarily known for their ability to boost the presence of healthy gut bacteria.

Benefits of Probiotics

Over the last few decades, scientists have zeroed in on how probiotics can be instrumental in boosting the function of the body’s immune system, lowering levels of harmful inflammation and aiding in the ability of the nervous system to work at optimal levels of productivity. In addition, some research has also demonstrated that the use of probiotics may be beneficial when treating certain skin and oral conditions.

Probiotics are also the star when it comes to improving your gut health. A balanced gut microbiome is essential to your overall health and wellness. The connection between gut and brain health has suggested that probiotics may prove useful in treating some types of anxiety and depression.

Leveraging Probiotics for Weight Loss

One of the most exciting emerging benefits of probiotics is how these supplements may be able to aid in weight loss efforts. Recent research has shown that the risk of obesity can be related to the gut microbial dysbiosis.

Because they are active microorganisms, probiotics are known for their ability to regulate and improve the gut’s microecosystem. This may lower levels of chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. As a result, probiotics may be instrumental in preventing and treating obesity through their ability to regulate and support the gut microbiota.

Additionally, the use of probiotics is believed to improve sensitivity to insulin. The live microorganisms may also positively influence your appetite and metabolism.

A 2019 study out of China looked at 12 randomized controlled trials to determine the effects of probiotics on obesity. The findings of the meta-analysis found that 10 of the studies demonstrated changes in body weight, 11 showed positive reductions in BMI, eight studies reported a change in the circumference of the waist measurements and nine studies showed reductions in fat mass with six demonstrating a change in fat percentage.

Protecting Against Weight Gain

An additional study demonstrated that the use of probiotics may also guard against future weight gain. A study of 20 men in 2015 gave the participants a multi-strain probiotic over the course of four weeks as they followed a high caloric and high fat diet. The men on the probiotic gained 3.12 pounds as compared to 5.06 pounds for the participants who took the placebo. All of the men were at a healthy weight when the trial started.

Because obesity is such a widespread health issue for nearly any developed nation, the results of this research could have potentially significant advantages in the battle against the bulge.

Incorporating Probiotics Into Your Diet

Up until the time when the use of supplements became mainstream, health-conscious individuals were forced to get their probiotics from food. The most common food that people turn to for probiotics is yogurt. However, it is important to note that not all yogurt contains live probiotics. Because of this, you need to be intentional about choosing yogurt that contains active or live cultures.

Other good sources of probiotics include sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, kefir, pickles and some types of cheese. Clearly, not everyone enjoys a steady diet of these types of foods. If this is the case, you can turn to a high-quality supplement that provides both probiotics and prebiotics to ensure that you are getting adequate amounts of probiotics into your daily diet. For some individuals, this is a much easier way to ensure adequate amounts of probiotics to promote weight loss.

Regardless of whether you are looking to lose weight or improve your gut microbiome, it is likely worth your time and monetary investment to explore how probiotics can boost your overall health and meet all of your wellness goals.

How the Anti-Aging Nutrient NADH Benefits Overall Health

Feb 11 by Ewcopywriting

After more than a century of study, science is making real breakthroughs in its understanding of how nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) works in cells to preserve cellular health and function, as well as fight disease. First discovered in 1906 through a study on the fermentation of yeast, modern science recognizes that NAD is present in all living cells as an essential coenzyme with a vital role in aiding the cells’ mitochondria to produce energy. NAD affects the body on a cellular level, impacting mitochondrial performance. Learn more about how anti-aging nutrient NADH benefits include helping to fight disease and protect overall health.

What NAD Does

NAD takes two forms, depending on what point in the energy production cycle it is. These two forms are NAD+ and NADH. NAD levels decrease with age, contributing to the mitochondrial inefficiency and deterioration linked to aging and disease processes.

The human body is made up of an amazingly complex set of highly integrated systems that act as a whole. The foundation of all body and mind functions lies in the almost inconceivable number of chemical reactions and electrical impulses that take place in our cells, molecules, atoms and subatomic particles. As an essential coenzyme, NAD acts as a critical partner, or helper molecule, to regulating proteins, called enzymes, facilitating and enabling the chemical reactions that form the base of the life processes and functions of cells. NAD is essential to the processes involved in the generation of energy by the mitochondria due to its dual function of receiving and providing electrons.

Understanding the Forms NAD Takes

NAD is a term used to encompass the two forms it takes (NAD+ and NADH) while giving or receiving electrons during energy production and transfer processes. When NAD is oxidized, it becomes NAD+, with one of its nitrogen atoms having a positive charge. NAD+, in its role in breaking down glucose into usable elements, receives the electrons and hydrogen produced by that metabolic process. The breaking down of glucose involves chemical reactions called redox reactions.

In its coenzyme role, NAD+ has been linked to the function and health of the mitochondria and sirtuins, which help regulate cellular metabolism and a cell’s response to various types of cellular stress, including oxidative stress. Sirtuins have been linked to the aging process and longevity, as well as some disease processes, including many of those related to the metabolic system and inflammation.

When NAD+ receives hydrogen and two electrons, it shifts into its high energy form, NADH. This is the NAD form that transports and donates electrons, giving it a critical role in energy production. After donating its electrons, eventually NADH is converted to NAD+ again. During the glucose metabolism process, each molecule of glucose yields two NADH molecules. The ratio of NAD+ to NADH tends to skew toward NADH because NAD+ levels go down as we get older. Science has not yet confirmed the ideal ratio between the two, but do theorize that disruptions of that ratio can contribute to aging and disease processes.

How NADH Benefits Health and Well-Being

NAD, via its two forms – NAD+ and NADH – impact health and well-being in a variety of ways. The role of NAD in metabolizing glucose and receiving, transporting and donating electrons is critical to life itself. However, its role in health extends well beyond that vital function. NAD+ and NAHD benefits have been getting a lot of attention from scientists specializing in anti-aging and aging-related disease prevention. That’s not surprising considering the connection between mitochondrial deterioration and aging.

In animal studies and test tube studies done with human muscle tissue, increasing NAD+ has been shown to improve age-weakened muscles. This is thought to relate to the impact of the increased NAD+ and NADH on mitochondrial health. Studies have connected the use of NAD supplements to a number of health benefits relating to the role of this substance in mitochondrial energy production.

These NADH benefits include better cognitive performance, improved circadian rhythm regulation, reduced fatigue, decrease in symptoms in those suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, healthier skin and protection against age-related vision problems. Some studies show a link between NAD+ levels and better cardiovascular health.

NAD has a vital role in many essential processes that protect health and well-being. Among these are DNA repair, oxidative stress mitigation on a cellular level and metabolic efficiency. As the body of information grows concerning the function of NAD+ and NADH, scientists are looking at how to translate this new information into effective treatments for such diseases as Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as developing effective strategies to protect against the diseases and physical frailties associated with aging.

New Knowledge Builds Upon Old

While much of the newest knowledge concerning NAD+ and NADH benefits is based on animal studies, it is built upon a foundation of older knowledge that goes back more than 100 years. This value of this vital coenzyme has long been recognized for its critical role in overall health and well-being.

Vital to cellular energy and function, NAD+ and NADH support health at the most foundational levels. NAD supports DNA health and function, the energy producing metabolic system and is firmly linked to the aging process via its coenzyme action in relation to sirtuins. If you choose to use supplements to boost NAD+, do your research and choose a high-quality, fully bioavailable supplement.

Research Update: Gut Microbes Influence Mood, Bone Strength and Cancer Risk

Jan 22 by Ewcopywriting

In recent years, a great deal of new information has been uncovered by scientists regarding the role of the gut microbiome in overall health and well-being. That body of information is rapidly expanding as scientists increase their understanding of just how vital maintaining a healthy gut microbiome is to immune system function, disease prevention, heart health and optimal mental health. New information links gut microbes to bone strength, mood and cancer risk. Diet is a major influence on gut microbiome health, underscoring the critical importance of healthy eating.

How Gut Microbes Impact Mood

While there are already established links between gut microbiota and brain functioning and mood disorders, a new study suggests yet another connection. Published by the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), the study found a connection between the amount of fiber in the diet and the risk of depression in premenopausal women. Researchers attributed this to the link between dietary fiber and gut microbiome health, as well as the role of gut-brain interactions in mood regulation and brain function.

According to the study, postmenopausal women didn’t experience as much depression risk reduction connected to dietary fiber as the premenopausal women did. Researchers suggested that this has to do with the way estrogen impacts the balance of gut bacteria, pointing to the difference in estrogen levels between the two categories of women. This study confirmed the importance of diverse and balanced gut bacteria.

The Role of Gut Microbes in Bone Strength

A number of studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiome plays a role in bone strength. Researchers have found that gut bacteria are involved in the modification of bone tissue, impacting overall bone strength. Gut microbiota also have a role in the regulation of bone density loss as estrogen levels decrease.

Researchers using mice demonstrated with fecal transplants containing segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB), a gut microbe that breaks down bone, that the gut microbiome can affect bone structure and density. The eventual goal of such research is to improve treatments for diseases and chronic health conditions that target the bones, such as osteoporosis.

Gut Bacteria and Cancer Risk

Microbial balance and a robustly diverse, healthy gut microbiome are important for keeping undesirable microbes in check. Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (ETBF), a microbe typically located in the colon, has been connected to increased breast cancer risk, as well as to colon cancer. In animal studies involving mice, colonizing their breasts or gut tissue with this microbe consistently resulted in tumor cell growth and metastatic progression of those cells.

In another intriguing cancer related study, researchers found some evidence that a healthy gut microbiome may contribute to better breast cancer outcomes in relation to chemotherapy treatment success. This was a very small study, involving just 42 women; 21 with early stage breast cancer and 21 healthy women. However, the results have led researchers to plan further research and larger studies.

Gut Bacteria Impacts Numerous Health Issues

Scientists have connected the health of the gut microbiome to a wide range of health conditions. These include type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Some studies show that gut microbiome health can even influence how severely a person is impacted by Covid-19. People who had to be hospitalized due to severe Covid-19 symptoms were more likely to have a less healthy gut microbiome and a poor balance between good and bad gut bacteria. That probably relates to the role of gut bacteria in immune system function, which is essential to fighting off illness and disease.

New research, building on established links to cognitive development and function, indicates that the gut microbiome may even play an important role in the sleep-wake cycle, influencing the circadian rhythm and the production of serotonin and dopamine. Part of the influence of gut bacteria in these processes has to do with their role in the chemical reactions involved in the production of those substances, as well as their part in the chemical reactions that help make up the brain’s communication system.

A Healthy Diet is Essential to Gut Health

The daily diet is the key element when it comes to the health of the gut microbiome. In fact, researchers have been able to connect specific microbes to specific foods. In the future, that may be able to help produce detailed, food-specific diets to help people with a high risk of a particular disease reduce that risk via modification of their gut bacteria. The typical Western diet, all too often based heavily on overly processed foods, tends to be high in fat and sugar, and low in fiber and nutrition. This diet damages the diversity of gut bacteria that is so essential to overall health and well being.

Feed Your “Health Partners” Well

Your gut bacteria operate as important partners in your physical health, mental well-being and cognitive function. Feed them – and yourself – well for optimal health. Enjoy a varied, diverse diet and you’ll have a diverse collection of gut bacteria. Include real, whole foods, including plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes and beans in the daily diet. Reduce the use of highly processed foods with a goal of eliminating them altogether. Taking a high-quality supplement that provides both prebiotics and probiotics can also help promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria. Ensuring you are feeding your body what it needs to keep your gut microbiome healthy and diverse will undoubtedly improve your overall health.

Gut Bacteria and Diabetes Linked in New Study

Oct 22 by Ewcopywriting

New research has found a previously unknown link between gut bacteria and diabetes. This recent study brings to light the importance of a healthy gut microbiome in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, especially in type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes and Insulin Resistance

Type 2 diabetes is usually preceded by a condition called insulin resistance, which occurs when the body’s cells exhibit increased tolerance to insulin, a hormone in the bloodstream. As a result, insulin is unable to perform its crucial function of regulating glucose levels within the blood.

In a healthy person, insulin allows glucose to move from the blood into the cells where it’s used as energy, keeping blood sugar levels from spiking. This is crucial because when the amount of sugar in the blood gets too high, it can damage tissues and organs. However, in those with type 2 diabetes, this process is interrupted, causing blood sugar levels to reach dangerous highs.

Previous studies have found that fat molecules, or lipids, produced by gut bacteria can positively impact blood glucose levels by influencing the gut-brain axis, the vital communication system that exists between the brain and the gut. Under normal circumstances, when we eat, the opening of the small intestine relaxes its walls, an action that sends a signal to the brain triggering the liver, fat tissue and muscles to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. However, in type 2 diabetes, this process is disturbed because the small intestine stays contracted, preventing the signal from being transmitted to the brain.

Those studying the link between gut bacteria and diabetes believe lipids in the blood produced by “friendly” microbes in the gut microbiome could be the key to reversing this disturbed communication between the gut and the brain and reinstating healthy blood sugar metabolism.

New Research Links Gut Bacteria and Diabetes

In a new study, conducted at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, researchers sought to learn more about how lipids promote communication between the gut and the brain via the enteric nervous system and why this communication is inhibited in people with type 2 diabetes.

Researchers fed one group of mice carbohydrates containing fructooligosaccharides (FOS), prebiotic nutrients found in many foods that promote the growth of the “friendly” microbes that produce lipids. Another group of mice was fed a diet that didn’t contain FOS carbohydrates. They found that the mice on the FOS diet exhibited an increased presence of a specific type of lipid, called 12-HETE. The 12-HETE caused reduced muscle contraction, helping to increase communication between the gut and the brain. As a result, these mice exhibited less rigid small intestines and lower blood glucose levels.

To verify their findings in human subjects, the researchers sampled the small intestines of type 2 diabetics and the small intestines of healthy subjects. They found that the diabetic subjects had a significant reduction of 12-HETE lipids.

The findings suggest that future treatments for type 2 diabetes may involve increasing the population of 12-HETE lipids in the blood. In the meantime, glucose metabolism may be improved by naturally boosting the health of the gut microbiome. By ingesting more beneficial microbes, it is possible to boost the effects that the gut microbiome has on the rest of the body, including how it communicates with the brain.

How Can You Naturally Boost Gut Health?

Adopt a Healthier Diet

The most effective way to boost gut health is to adjust your diet. In addition to eating primarily plant-based foods, it is recommended to cut back on refined sugar, unhealthy fats and processed meats. While lean red meat can comprise a small portion of each meal, the majority of every meal should consist of fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds.

Take a Dietary Supplement

Taking a high-quality dietary supplement containing both prebiotics and probiotics, such as Florachron, can also boost the health of your gut microbiome. While prebiotics that help healthy gut bacteria thrive, probiotics increase the number of bacteria in the gut. Together, these compounds help to maintain a strong and diverse gut microbiome.

Manage Your Stress

One of the ways your gut microbiome benefits health is by supporting the immune system. Unfortunately, increased stress compromises the immune system, requiring gut bacteria to concentrate on supplementing immunity instead of performing other necessary functions. It’s possible to avoid this situation by taking time to relax and reduce stress. You can do this through meditation, yoga, exercise or taking up a hobby that you find enjoyable.

Get More Sleep

The reason doctors recommend seven to eight hours of sleep is that the body uses this time to repair itself. This includes giving the bacteria in the gut a period of inactivity to perform their necessary functions. If you’re getting less than seven hours of sleep regularly, try replacing your bedding with more comfortable blankets and pillows. You should also reduce your caffeine consumption and shut off electronics one hour before bed. If you’re still having trouble sleeping through the night, consult your doctor.

Whole Body Vibration Benefits the Microbiome and More

Oct 14 by Ewcopywriting

While you may not be familiar with whole body vibration, or WBV, it’s a practice that has been around for several decades. New research has found that whole body vibration benefits include a reduction in inflammation, while it also promotes a healthier gut microbiome.

What is Whole Body Vibration?

Initially introduced in the early 1990s, whole body vibration is a form of passive exercise that involves using vibrations to send waves of energy through the entire body. The process involves standing, sitting or lying on a platform and enduring a series of vibrations. The vibrating energy causes your muscles to contract and expand repeatedly throughout the process, helping to grow and tone muscle mass. Daily 15 minute sessions may promote weight loss, improve blood flow and decrease the production of stress hormones.

In one recent study, subjects were divided into two groups, and each group had their oxygen intake and energy usage measured during physical activity. The subjects in the first group were subjected to WBV treatments before the trial, while the second group did not participate in WBV activities.

The researchers found that those subjects who received the whole body vibrations experienced over 22 percent greater oxygen intake and 20 percent greater energy usage. This indicates that the use of WBV along with a regular exercise routine may promote greater weight loss.

Additional research has found that whole body vibration benefits also include reversing conditions such as fatty liver disease and glucose intolerance. It has also been found to be effective in alleviating back pain, reducing bone loss and improving muscle coordination in senior adults. As more studies are conducted, there’s hope that WBV treatments will be effective in promoting better health in other ways.

New Research Pinpoints Whole Body Vibration Benefits

A recent study at Augusta University in Georgia focused on discovering why and how WBV treatments improve metabolic health, after discovering the positive effects it exhibited for type 2 diabetics. The research project involved studying mice with leptin deficiencies, since this abnormality raises the risk for obesity and insulin resistance. Obesity and insulin resistance both increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, so the researchers sought out test mice that exhibited these characteristics.

The study involved examining the microphages in the mice, which are cells in the immune system that are associated with the gut microbiome and general body inflammation. The mice were separated into a control group and a test group, with the mice in the test group receiving daily WBV treatments for a period of four weeks. At the end of the four weeks, each of the mice was evaluated by taking body fat and stool samples for analysis.

One of the findings involved an increased diversity in the gut microbiome, which helped reduce inflammation. In particular, the presence of alistipes, a type of bacteria that promotes the production of short-chain fatty acids in the body, was increased. These short-chain fatty acids are able to attack inflammation and reduce its presence wherever it occurs in the body. This bacteria is also responsible for helping the body extract butyrate from daily fiber, which helps reduce the dangers of a high-fat diet.

Whole body vibration helped to combat inflammation in the mice in another way; by increasing the presence of M2 macrophages. These immune cells are tasked with increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokines, and as a result, new inflammation is suppressed. The researchers found that shorter WBV sessions that were combined with alistipes supplements also helped improve metabolic health. Although they admit that more research is needed in this area, they feel hopeful that regular WBV treatment can help people reach and maintain more optimal metabolic health.

How Can You Protect Your Gut Microbiome?

Eat a Diverse Plant-Based Diet

Most of your meals should be comprised of plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts. You should also try to pick a variety of foods by choosing fruits and veggies with a broad range of colors. This will ensure you get a good sampling of vitamins, while also exposing your gut microbiome to a more diverse selection of helpful microbes.

Eat High-Fiber Foods

Some foods that are high in fiber include onions and similar foods, such as leeks and garlic. Artichokes are also high-fiber foods. Eating more of these types of veggies will help, because it takes longer for the body to digest natural fiber. As a result, the prebiotics in the fiber will be absorbed into the gut microbiome, where they nourish the bacteria already thriving there.

Fast Without Snacking

When you fast for several hours without snacking or drinking, you’ll be giving your gut microbiome an opportunity to rest. This will give that community of microbes an opportunity to do other work in your body, such as boosting immunity, so you’ll feel healthier. Additionally, weight gain is reduced overall by periods of fasting.

Take a Daily Probiotic/Prebiotic Supplement

There are high-quality supplements on the market that provide the body with a supply of both probiotics and prebiotics. Probiotic supplements supply “friendly” bacteria to the gut, and help promote a healthy and diverse gut microbiome. Once ingested, prebiotics are used by the gut microbiome to fortify the existing microbes in the body. This helps the gut microbiome function better and grow more diverse. Prebiotics can also boost colon health and improve digestive functions.

Spend More Time Outdoors

Improving the diversity of your gut bacteria will help you maintain better overall health, but eating more plant-based foods isn’t the only method. You can also expose your gut microbiome to more bacteria by spending more time outdoors, especially when you spend that time away from the city. Go to a favorite park or drive out to the country for the day. As you relax in nature, you’ll breathe in bacteria that your gut can use to manage your health.

Resveratrol and Caloric Restriction: Can a Plant Compound Influence Lifespan?

Sep 18 by Ewcopywriting

Resveratrol is a beneficial compound that’s commonly found in the skin of dark fruits and vegetables. It’s widely known as a powerful antioxidant and researchers continue to find new ways that it can benefit the body in this regard. It’s also been found to possess antitumor and antiviral properties, which suggests it may help protect against unhealthy cell growth and certain viral infections. This special compound may also play an important role in anti-aging medicine: Research has shown that both resveratrol and caloric restriction may help slow aging and extend longevity by altering the metabolic rate.

What is Resveratrol?

Resveratrol is particularly interesting for its antioxidant properties because it can help mitigate cell damage. Under normal circumstances, free oxygen molecules roam the body and attach themselves to healthy cells. The damage these free radical molecules cause through the process of oxidation harms cellular health and increases the risk of disease and infection. However, antioxidants like resveratrol protect the cells in the body by fighting free radicals. Antioxidants can reverse the oxidative damage caused by free radicals by helping to reduce the number of free radicals in the body and protecting healthy cells.

As previously mentioned, resveratrol is found naturally in the skins of dark plant-based foods. However, certain foods have higher concentrations of the compound than others. Here is a short list of natural sources of resveratrol that you can add to your diet. Eating these foods frequently will help you enjoy the benefits that this compound provides. You can find resveratrol in:

red grapes or red wine
peanut butter
dark chocolate
blueberries

How Does Caloric Restriction Affect Aging and Longevity?

A diet based on caloric restriction involves reducing dietary intake below the body’s energy requirements while still providing the vitamins and nutrients that the body needs. By choosing foods based on calories and nutritional content, it’s possible to slow the aging process and extend longevity by up to five years. This process benefits longevity by improving the metabolic rate, which is why it’s also an effective weight loss strategy.

In a study of 56 rats, researchers looked at how cells were affected by a restricted-calorie diet. They examined over 168,703 cells, which were taken from various parts of the rats’ bodies, including the liver, kidneys, aorta, brain, muscle and bone marrow. They found that rats on the restricted diet exhibited slower cell aging than the rats on a regular diet. The researchers noted that 57 percent of the normal signs of aging that a cell exhibits over time were not present or reduced in the rats on the restricted diet. Cell functions that were most notably affected were related to immune function, lipid metabolism and inflammation.

The results of the study suggest that the inflammation that causes many age-related diseases can be reduced through calorie-restricted diets. The findings support the idea that the types of foods we eat as we get older can influence our quality of life and our longevity. Since eating high-calorie foods and consuming too many calories affects health at a cellular level, limiting your calorie intake can positively impact the length and quality of life. These findings have led other researchers to explore how other compounds affect longevity. Some studies have focused on the effects that resveratrol has on cellular aging, leading to new findings that could impact how we define nutrition as we age.

Research Finds Resveratrol and Caloric Restriction Have Similar Effects on Longevity

In order to benefit from a calorie-restricted diet, it’s necessary to stick to the diet without deviation. This can be problematic in that everyone “cheats” on their diet from time to time, which can undermine the diet’s positive health effects. Fortunately, new research suggests resveratrol and caloric restriction can have similar effects on longevity, so it may not be necessary to strictly follow a restricted-calorie diet.

Research has found that resveratrol mimics the results of a calorie-restricted diet, helping those eating a high-calorie diet achieve similar results. In one study, researchers studied two groups of rats who were all fed a high-calorie diet. One group was given resveratrol in addition to their high-calorie diet, and that group showed slower signs of cellular aging than the other group. The rats who consumed resveratrol showed a lower risk for heart disease, diabetes and other age-related conditions. The researchers found that the rats taking resveratrol were similar in health status to rats who consumed an average amount of calories.

It has also been found that resveratrol benefits health in other ways in addition to better regulating the metabolism. For example, the compound helps the body become more sensitive to insulin, resulting in lower blood sugar levels. Additionally, motor function is improved and mitochondrial energy production is boosted.

Research into resveratrol and longevity found that the compound also reduced risks of atherosclerosis and heart disease even when the subject was eating a high-calorie diet. It has been estimated that resveratrol reduces the risk of death from a high-calorie diet by up to 31 percent.

The best way to get enough resveratrol to make an impact on your health is to take a daily supplement. Even though red grapes, wine, dark chocolate and blueberries are foods with the highest quantities of the compound, they still provide insufficient levels. On average, a resveratrol supplement contains 220 times the amount of the compound when compared to red wine. However, adding these foods to your diet may still offer some protection over time as the amount of the compound builds up in your body.