Grace’s Blog

On May 4^th, 2010, GlaxoSmithKline announced they were suspending a clinical trial of their resveratrol drug because of safety concerns.

Some reports went so far as to say people should be cautious about taking resveratrol supplements until the safety issues had been resolved.

This needs to be clarified.

The “resveratrol” drug referred to is not resveratrol itself!

Several years ago, Harvard scientists started screening over 500,000 chemicals to find which would be most effective at turning on anti-aging genes.

They were looking for something they could patent and sell to a drug company for big bucks.

What they found was resveratrol, a nutrient found naturally in red wine.  It was the most effective compound out of those 500,000 they screened at turning on the anti-aging genes.

It was great news for people using resveratrol supplements, but it was bad news for the scientists, because they couldn’t patent it and, therefore, couldn’t sell it to a drug company.

But all was not lost. There is a time-tested process for dealing with this problem.

It is to make a chemically modified derivative of the natural compound and, if it works, patent the chemical derivative and sell it to a drug company.

That’s what the scientists at Harvard did. They made a chemical derivative of resveratrol called SRT501.

This chemical showed it also turned on the anti-aging genes, patented it and sold it to Sirtris Pharmaceuticals for $500 million.

Then Sirtris turned around and sold it to GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million

The process of making a chemical derivative is frequently used.  Many successful drugs have been obtained this way, but the process is also fraught with perils.

Chemically modified derivatives are often not metabolized in the same way as the original and are often toxic in unexpected ways.

It is not surprising SRT501 displayed unexpected toxicity which caused
GlaxoSmithKline to halt clinical trials of the drug.

SRT501 is not resveratrol and the toxicities of this drug have nothing to do with resveratrol.

Resveratrol is a completely natural nutrient found in grapes, red wine and other foods. SRT501 is a man-made chemical derivative of resveratrol.

For a natural resveratrol product, watch a short video HERE.

Shaklee Independent Distributor

The anti-aging promise of resveratrol is real.

The amount or resveratrol in most products on the market do not come close to the amounts used in research.

Resveratrol is considered key in protecting the body against heart disease, cancer and neurological diseases, according to Dr. Joseph Maroon, a neuroscience professor at the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine.

According to him, it can prevent some infections, serve as an antiviral, reduce obesity, protect against some forms of diabetes and slow the effects of aging.

Resveratrol companies can refer to the mountains of published research, but what research has been done on THEIR resveratrol product and what are the findings? 

Not all resveratrol products are created equally.

Learn about the quality resveratrol product we use and love by logging on to our WEB SITE.

The Shaklee Difference VIDEO.

Shaklee Independent Distributor

Genetic regulator Nrf2, pronounced Nerf 2, is a key genetic regulator of longevity.

Results of a randomized, placebo controlled clinical study by scientists at State University of New York at Buffalo using Shaklee’s Vivix will soon be published.

This was an independent study.  Shaklee did not do it.

When we are young and eat a high fat, high carbohydrate, low protein meal, it triggers an increase in Nrf2. This in turn increases production of our body’s own antioxidant defense mechanisms.

What does Nrf2 do?

Besides increasing the production of antioxidant defense mechanisms, it triggers our detoxification mechanisms and gets rid of all the artificial food additives and preservatives.

It triggers our immune balance mechanisms and anti-stress mechanisms. High fat meals depress the immune system and can cause inflammatory and autoimmune responses.

These mechanisms slow down cellular aging and reduce the risk of degenerative diseases.

As we get older, Nrf2 responses are no longer triggered by all the high fat bad foods we eat and we lose our natural protective mechanisms.

When that happens, we are more at risk for heart disease and stroke because our arteries are clogged from all those high fat meals.

Enter Shaklee’s Vivix.  The clinical study took a group of volunteers who consumed a 910 calorie breakfast at a well known fast food restaurant.  Half took Vivix immediately after breakfast and the other group took a placebo.

In those that took the Vivix, the Nrf2 increased dramatically within the first 3 hours after the meal.

The other group who took the placebo had their Nrf2 levels actually decline.

What does this mean?  A dose of Vivix containing resveratrol and ellagic acid has beneficial polyphenols that get into the bloodstream and have their intended anti-aging benefits.

Vivix will be even more effective when used with a good diet.  Vivix turns on Nrf2 whether you eat a bad diet or not.  Keep your system working at tip top shape with Vivix and make better choices in the foods you eat.

Click HERE to learn more about Vivix, a remarkable anti-aging tonic.  There is nothing like it anywhere.  It is backed by multiple patents and a soon to be published peer-reviewed clinical study.  Increasing Nrf2 is only one of the benefits.  When published, we will know more of all the benefits of using Vivix.

 Shaklee Independent Distributor

The stampede is on.  Everyone and their dog is getting a resveratrol product to market.

There are now more than 200 resveratrol products on the market. Since the recent appearance of Dr. David Sinclair on CBS’s 60 Minutes, that number has nearly doubled.

But it is “Buyer Beware.”

Research has shown there is little if any resveratrol in most of these products. 

There is plenty of marketing hype going around. 

Consumers will be greatly disappointed when the products they use don’t live up to their expectations.

That is really a sad thing, because the anti-aging promise of resveratrol is real.

The amount or resveratrol in these products do not come close to the amounts used in the research.

Resveratrol is considered key in protecting the body against heart disease, cancer and neurological diseases, according to Dr. Joseph Maroon, a neuroscience professor at the University of Pittsburg School of Medicine.

According to him, it can prevent some infections, serve as an antiviral, reduce obesity, protect against some forms of diabetes and slow the effects of aging.

There is one product that lives up to the research claims of Dr. Sinclair from Harvard.

It comes from the # 1 Natural Nutrition Company in the U.S.  This 53 year-old company spent years developing their resveratrol product. 

It was the most difficult and most expensive product in their history.

It is patented and years ahead of pharmaceutical companies quests for a drug.

When considering a resveratrol product, do your homework. 

Companies can refer to the research, but what research has been done on THEIR resveratrol product and what are the findings? 

Remember, not all resveratrol products are created equally.

Shaklee Dist.

Scientists are spending billions with a “B” to unlock the secrets to living longer. 

Eighteen years ago, the CBS show 60 Minutes examined what was called the French paradox.  The French consumed a diet high in fat but also consumed a lot of wine.

They had a markedly lower incident of heart disease than Americans.

Could there be something in the wine that protected them from this deadly disease?

Researchers have found that resveratrol, an ingredient found in red wine, can influence the biological aging processes in positive ways.

Imagine if you will, people living to 150, 175, or even 200 years!  Maybe you don’t want to live that long considering the diseases of old age.  What if those diseases did not exist?

It is exciting to think about.  Perhaps you could see your great grandchildren or your great-great grandchildren graduate from college.

On May 21, 2009, 60 Minutes updated their story on resveratrol.  If the promises hold true, according to Morley Safer, it could change healthcare forever.

One COMPANY has spent years developing a product containing resveratrol and was the first to create and isolate a unique profile of polyphenols. 

Their resveratrol product is available now.  Drug companies are looking at five to ten years before they have a drug that can extend life.

In laboratory studies, this unique formula has been shown to fight cellular aging. 

You know that DNA is part of our cells.  When there is a “typo” or something wrong with the cell, it duplicates wrong.  Then disease or aging starts. 

This product repairs and protects cellular DNA.

It also increases mitochondria, what I call little energizing batteries, in the cells that keep the cells energized.  Children have bunches of them.  We lose them as we get older.  When they are gone, the cell dies.

It positively impacts genetic regulators that determine if a cell lives or dies.

This PRODUCT also contains another polyphenol which is protected by a patent-pending extraction process.  No one in the world had been able to extract it until now.

This polyphenol slows the accumulation of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE) which slowly clogs up cells. 

These AGE products can compromise cell integrity and longevity.

Multiple patens have been filed to protect this exclusive breakthrough product.

Do a Google search on Resveratrol.  See what you find. 

If you could prevent the diseases of old age, would you?  If you could perhaps extend your life another 25 years, would you?  Only you can answer that question.

I don’t know how much longer I will extend my life, but I am using this PRODUCT now, everyday.  It is 10 x more powerful than resveratrol alone.  I love it.

Shaklee Dist.

Register for our Health and Wellnes Newsletter at our WEB SITE.

I happened to catch the Oprah Show yesterday (Wednesday, March 24, 2009). It seemed like I was watching a science fiction show.

Did you catch it?  If not, go to Oprah.com and see what’s going on in the field of science.  Amazing things!

There was a guy who had lost the end of one of his fingers.  He got some stuff, who knows what, from his brother.

He applied it to the end of his finger, wrapped it in a bandage, and like magic his finger re-grew…fingernail and all.  It was un-real.  You have to go and see it.

Dr. Oz was showing Oprah all the new things science is discovering to help us live longer healthier lives.  Good stuff.

At the end of the show, Dr. Oz said there was one thing everyone could start doing now to help the body live longer.  Start taking a resveratrol product.

I would encourage you to look at my February 24, 2009 post for the article on resveratrol.  It will be a good review.  Remember, not all resveratrol products are created equal.

The resveratrol product I use and recommend has another anti-aging ingredient in it.  This product has been patented twelve different ways to protect the formula and the technology to produce it. 

Resveratrol mimics a calorie restricted diet.  Some of the guests on Oprah’s show practice a calorie restricted diet. 

This means they eat fewer calories than suggested for their height and weight. They get their calories from nutrient dense foods.

Following a calorie restricted diet is really hard to do. I know it is for me.  I take my resveratrol in a liquid tonic each day.  Delicious!  It also increases mitochondria which give me energy.  See my Mitochondria post of March 2, 2009.

Shaklee Dist.

Have you ever thought of buying a new car, what the color would be, the make and model?  Then once you bought it,  you started seeing cars just like yours everywhere.

It’s the same thing with “resveratrol.”

If you are like me, you are seeing “resveratrol” pop up all over the place.  What is it? 

Basically it is an ingredient in red wine, but we can’t drink enough wine to get all the beneficial effects. Therefore, supplement companies are putting it out in pill or liquid form.

Resveratrol is a molecule so tiny it penetrates the wall of almost any cell in an organism.  It continues into the cell nucleus, to the cell’s genetic machinery.  There, it selectively switches on genes that aid the survival of an organism. 

Do you feel like you are in biology class?

Using gene silencing, it switches off genes involved in the initiation and progression of disease, blocking replication of bacteria, viruses, fungi and tumor cells.

Resveratrol extends life by influencing gene functions.  It has been shown to extend the life of yeast cells, fruit flies, round-worms, fish and even over-fed laboratory mice.

New studies show it slows the onset of virtually all aging diseases: heart, arthritis, cancers, and Alzheimer’s.

Other new discoveries show it does still more–repairs alcohol-damaged livers, slows bone loss (osteoporosis) boosts endurance, promotes hair growth, and re-energizes cells. 

You can understand why scientists are spending billions in research dollars trying to unlock the secrets to longevity and those studies include resveratrol. In fact, there are over 2000 research publications about it.

Many news organizations have reported on what scientists are discovering, including:

The Barbara Walters Special, April 2008, “Live to 150: Can You Do It?” Fortune, January 19, 2007, “Can Red Wine Help You Live Forever?”  “Could We Live Forever? (Or Even Come Close?)” ..CBS News, Nov. 11, 2007, and “Red Wine Ingredient The Secret To Long Life?” ..CTV.ca News Staff, June 4, 2008.

Before you run out and purchase the first resveratrol product you can find, be aware, not all resveratrol is created equal.  You may find yourself sitting on the “john” more often than you want to. 

Resveratrol naturally contains an ingredient called Emodin, a natural laxative which causes many people to have diarrhea.

Shaklee Dist.