CANCER, DIABETES, MENSTRAL CRAMPS, AND MORE

The following articles have been published in medical journals around the world. They are about the anti-oxidant, anti-inflamatory neuroprotective, cardioprotective ingredient of the vegetable world called resveratrol. It offers many health benefits for many people. Keep in mind that Shaklee's resveratrol in the form of Vivix is ten times as powerful as other resveratrol products on the market. Remember, most research is done with animals and in test tubes. In this issue, we have an article on human subjects. We continue to receive personal success stories which are anecdotal but in such a large number, I can't help but be impressed. Let's look at a few recently published articles.

1. Testing: From the University of Jaen in Spain comes a report on a new spectrofluorimetric method of measuring the content of resveratrol in any sample. It is quicker and cheaper than anything that exists now. To me, this means that we can measure the amount of resveratrol in the raw ingredients prior to formulation to make the most powerful product. (Anal Chim Acta 18 Mar 2011)

2. Cancer: From the University of Nebraska is an article on cancer. Some people have high levels of something called estrogen-DNA adducts which are a result of the unbalanced metabolism of estrogen. Yes, men have small amounts of estrogens as do women have small amounts of testosterone. In this a study on people with higher levels of estrogen-DNA adducts, these levels can be lowered by specific anti-oxidants, one of which is resveratrol. Women at high risk for breast cancer or diagnosed with breast cancer, men with prostate cancer, and men with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma would benefit from lowering of this adduct. Vivix offers a natural and safe way to achieve this goal. (J Steroid Biochem, Mol Biol 9 Mar 2011)

3. New Source: From Monash University in the "land that wastes nothing" comes a report of a new source of resveratrol. Most v comes from fruits such as grapes and blueberries. In Australia they were able to extract resveratrol from peanut press waste. That would be the goo left over from making peanut butter. While there is not a lot of resveratrol per pound, the source is free and earth-friendly. Well done mate. (J Agric Food Chem 10 Mar 2011)

4. Diabetes: From the University of Pecs in Hungary comes a human study on diabetics. Resveratrol has improved the control of blood sugar in a variety of lab animals. In this study a group of diabetic people was divided into a group on resveratrol and a group who were not. In a four week study, before and after the second and fourth week, insulin resistance and sensitivity were measured. After the forth week, the resveratrol group had a significant decrease in insulin resistance. This is the first study showing that resveratrol improves insulin sensitivity in humans. This may be due to a resveratrol induced anti-oxidant affect that leads to a more efficient insulin signaling. (Br J Nutr 9 Mar 2011)

5. Another source: From Belgium (think New Belgium Fat Tire) comes a study showing that grapes and red wine are not the only source of resveratrol. Resveratrol is present in red sorghum and is also in beer made with red sorghum as its grain source. This is good news for beer afficianados, but the amount of resveratrol is much less less than in Shaklee Vivix. (J Agric Food Chem 7 Mar 2011)

6. Menstrual cramps: Taiwan published a paper on uterine contraction in rats. While this may not be of interest to many people, it holds the promise of more comfortable periods for many women. Chinese medicine focuses more on natural and herbal treatments than western medicine. This is the first article looking at the effect of resveratrol on uterine smooth muscle. Rats, half of which were treated with resveratrol and the other half not, were "separated" from their uteri (rat hysterectomy) and subjected to a drug that causes muscle contractions of the uterus (cramps). The resveratrol treated rat uteri had much less contraction than the non-treated. It is a far stretch to say that V or Vivix would help with menstrual cramps, but it will be years before human research catches up with animal studies. It would only take one or two months to find out if Vivix would decrease the severity of menstrual cramps. If it helps, that's great. If it does not, the money-back guarantee is still there. (Endocrinology 1 Mar 2011)

I hope at least some of this is of interest to you. More next time, and I will try to be more productive. Until next time.

Dr. Bob