Its a shame that the OP has been banned, because resveratrol is very topical. It was thought to activate a regulatory class of protein called the sirtuins, amongst others, and a lot of drug companies are developing compounds to target them for diverse age-related illnesses. Last month, a research group from Pfizer published a paper in J. Biol. Chem. that showed this hypothesis to be incorrect - the original observation of activation of the sirtuins by resveratrol was almost certainly an artefact of the assay, with the fluorescent probe used being responsible for the activation.
The science of this episode is just part of the cut and thrust of debate as we try to understand how a protein family fundamental to aging really works. Unfortunately, there has been massive investment in this area from pharma that looks to have been badly misplaced, at a time of major restructuring and redundancies, so its a sore subject (google GSK and sirtis if interested).
I actually work in a lab that uses resveratrol and other sirtuin activators in their research, and my own project touches on the pathway as well.
Short version is that resveratrol does extend lifespan in a number of model organisms – worms and flies for sure, but there’s lots of conflicting evidence for mice and none yet for monkeys. Resveratrol has been described as a dietary restriction mimetic, since it is thought to work through similar genetic pathways. It was once thought to directly activate sirtuins, but recent evidence is that those conclusions were based on a faulty assay (as Busy Scissors mentions). However, there’s still a load of evidence that resveratrol does work through sirtuins, but the link isn’t as clear as it once was. One of the better alternative explanations is that resveratrol activates the sirtuin pathway through some indirect mechanism (AMP kinase is a likely candidate).
Anyways, there’s lots of science digging into the details and the mechanisms. But there’s no evidence at all whatsoever for its effect in humans. One problem is that it isn’t easily absorbed by the mammalian digestive tract – mice and humans have to take ridiculous doses to get any of it into the blood stream. So a number of drug companies are trying to develop sirtuin activators that are better drugs: absorb better, stronger activation, less side effects, etc. And there’s been a lot of controversy in those efforts as well. But, most notably, Sirtris is testing some of their potential drugs in human trials. Currently they’re testing a number of compounds in human drug trials to treat diabetes and cancer.
But outside of the valid science (unclear as it is), the [del]snake oil[/del] dietary supplement sellers have latched onto resveratrol as the latest cure-all. Hell, some of the leading scientists in the field have bought into the bullshit as well, though I’d rather not name names in a public forum…
My take? Wait for the clinical trials to come through. Don’t waste any time and money on resveratrol quite yet.
If you want to read more, Derek Lowe (a pharmaceutical chemist) has written a lot on the topic on his blog. Here’s a link to his posts onaging and lifespan; most of which involve sirtuins or resveratrol. Read from the bottom to get a chronological take on the subject – the initial promise and excitement, followed by humongous investment by pharma, and most recently evidence that things aren’t as clear as many once thought.
Probably the one who had a productive career, wonderful supportive family and friends, and great retirement investments. And lots of poo to throw at people.
Looking only at the OP, and having never heard of resveratrol before, I was certain this was a shill for some supplement. I was surprised to read otherwise. So if ZSPHOBIASZ wasn’t banned for hawking some “quality product”, what was he banned for?
