Monday, February 15, 2010

Some More Research That Should be Interesting

When I looked at this blog, it threw me off at first. If it were on paper you would start at the back and work forward. On the blog, if you are new, you start at the end or the bottom and work your way forward or up.
I'm a student of western US history and read a magazine, True West. I've often called Vivix, a potent source of resveratrol, a snake oil because it helps so many different problems. It turns out that Chinese laborers building the railroads in the 1800's brought liniment to the US that had snake oil as an ingredient and was used for joint and muscle pain. Snake oil was from snake meat which contains EPA (eicosa pentaenoic acid), an omega-3 fatty acid that has an anti-inflammatory property. It worked. When unscrupulous con men claimed benefits beyond what real snake oil could deliver that it got a negative connotation. Here we go with the research.


1. In Turkey, they cut the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in the knee in rats and then monitored the degenerative arthritis which develops in joints after an injury like this. The rats on resveratrol had less joint damage after the injury than those not on it. (Inflamm Res Apr 605 158-62)



2. Speaking of arthritis, a study from China shows that there is a chemical that can be injected into rat joints that causes changes identical to the damage that occurs with rheumatoid arthritis. It results in an increase in synoviocytes, cells in joints that increase in number when joints are damaged. The rats on resveratrol had a slower increase in the growth of synoviocytes, implying less damage to joints. Resveratrol can protect joints as an antioxidant.(Zhong Nan Da Xue Buo Aug 2016 528-33)
3. In Detroit, a group of rats (aren't you glad you're not a rat) was split and half got resveratrol. The other half did not. They were exposed to loud noise. The resveratrol group had less hearing loss. The conclusion was that noise and age related hearing loss were decreased by adding resveratrol to your diet. (Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery Nov 2003 463-70)
4. A study out of Albany, New York reviewed the use of dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and herbs. They found that nutritional supplement expenditures in the US demonstrated greater growth than pharmaceuticals. They also found that 80% of cancer patients used natural products in addition to their traditional treatments. (Nutr Cancer 2009 587-970)
Thank you for your interest and for checking us out.