Resveratrol in Alzheimer's Disease Study

In order to sell magazines & newspapers or to get people to watch TV or listen to radio, we've learned to sensationalize the news and make mountains out of mole hills.  For instance, while very few chemicals make the jump from the laboratory bench to animal studies to human studies to Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications, it's sexier to claim possible distant cure for cancer was just found today.

Dietary supplement manufacturers have made good use of the lenient regulations regarding their manufacturing w/o need to prove efficacy and/or safety of any product prior to making miraculous claims.  Thus, they often take incredulously large leaps of faith from cell biology studies to human application.  Granted, some of us don't have much time left on this Earth and we're so desperate that we'll grasp at any straws, no matter how dainty.  But the rest of us should be more conservative in our approach, I think.  After all, there's no down side to eating healthy plus regular exercise.  But one can only be angelic so long before the horns start growing (at least in my case - the horns I mean since I'm not the angelic type).

But I digress.  As I pointed out in an earlier Facebook post & Tweeter tweet yesterday, I found an interesting article in USA Today about a study of high dose resveratrol 1,000mg twice daily equivalent to 1,000 bottles of wine daily vs placebo over the course of a year to confirm safety and to determine if there is any benefit to this wonder drug that's been on drugstore shelves and late night TV for the past several years.

The hope is that this chemical will slow down if not prevent cognitive impairment.  Given the inherent nature & danger of the unknown, it's best to make an appointment to enroll at one of the study sites.  But for those for whom every second counts and who can't wait for today's trial results to get analyzed a year from now, you can find resveratrol 1,000mg just about any where online.  But do remember, it's caveat emptor.  Before we even address the question of efficacy, we have to insure that it's a safe drug.

"[Y]ou’ve got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well do ya, punk?"
Clint Eastwood as Inspector Harry Callahan in Dirty Harry, 1971 

Follow @alvinblin
Tweet