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Resveratrol - Wine Not Take a Miracle Pill to Live Longer? PDF Print E-mail
Swift
Written by Harriet Hall   
Tuesday, 13 October 2009 21:00

People who drink red wine in moderation tend to live longer than those who abstain from alcohol entirely. Unfortunately, alcohol comes with certain other unwanted effects that you may have noticed from your own experiences late at night or the morning after. Wouldn't it be great if we could figure out what is in the alcohol that improves health and put it in a pill that couldn't make you tipsy?

Some hucksters think they have done just that. They are selling resveratrol, a component of red wine that they claim improves longevity, delays the effects of aging, and might even prevent cancer. You can take one little pill to get the equivalent of the resveratrol in 278 five ounce glasses of Pinot Noir. You've probably seen the ads. The hype includes claims like "The Secret to Living a Longer, Healthier and More Vibrant Life" and "the Holy Grail of aging research."

Science has shown that resveratrol extends the lifespan of nematodes (little wormy critters), yeast, fruit flies, and mice who have been made obese by deliberate over-feeding in the lab. But it has never been tested at all in humans!

Think about this. If a drug company tested an experimental prescription drug candidate on yeast and worms and abnormal mice and then proposed to market it without doing a single clinical trial in humans, the FDA would be ROTFL. And if the FDA did lose their minds and approve it for marketing as a drug, people would be screaming that the FDA was not doing its duty to protect the public. Yet under the infamous Diet Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) resveratrol can be sold without any testing, approval, or inspection process, using the fiction that it is not intended as a medicine but as a food. Gullible people are gobbling up resveratrol and making the hucksters rich. The fond hope of living longer has overcome their common sense.

For more details, see  http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=1952

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The key word
written by fluffy, October 13, 2009
I think the key word is "moderation." As in, it's drinking wine in moderation which has these beneficial effects - and last I checked, drinking a glass per day isn't going to give you those horrible "morning-after" effects that are so undesirable. Just slow down and drink it to enjoy it. Happiness is certainly beneficial.
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written by Steel Rat, October 13, 2009
Is it in the alcohol? Or something else having to do with fermented grapes that may prolong life? And how reliable are studies which show such things?
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Anagrams
written by Kajabla61, October 13, 2009
I give up. What does ROTFL stand for?

It is not proper journalistic practice to use an anagram without delineating it's meaning. The correct practice was followed in the next paragraph with DSHEA, which can then be used in it's anagram form from there on through the length of an article or even a book.

I am middle aged and well educated but I don't know every anagram on the planet. I expect it is a slang phrase but my point still stands. Please explain.
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written by inquisitiveraven, October 13, 2009
@Kajabla61

I think the word you're looking for is "acronym" or possibly "initialism." Still, I take your point, but it's net slang so I think familiarity was assumed. It stands for "rolling on the floor, laughing." Of course, once the FDA was done picking themselves off the floor, the answer would be "no."
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ROTFL
written by ClareZ, October 13, 2009
ROTFL = Roll on the floor laughing. Perfectly acceptable for internet chat rooms and emails with friends, but I agree that is does not reach the journalistic bar even for the internet. This is a fairly close knit group, as groups go, but it is not a chat room. :> YLILY LOL (you are lucky I love you, laugh out loud)
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Acronyms
written by The SkepDoc, October 13, 2009
The next time you see an acronym you don't understand, try Googling. The explanation for ROTFL pops right up. It's fun solving puzzles. I see a lot of things like that that I don't understand, and I only get annoyed with the writer if it is not something readily available with a mouse click. Print journalism is another matter.
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Alcohol
written by kdv, October 13, 2009
@Steel Rat

You ask a very good question, and I think the answers are unreliable at best. An association, as we all know here, does not prove causation. Without very good studies, I think it's difficult to really be sure we can attribute greater longevity to wine. I have seen studies which show no link, studies that link red wine specifically, and studies which link any form of alcohol to health benefits. I think the best we can say with authority is that there is a possible link, as yet unproven.

After all, people who drink wine may also, on average, have higher incomes. Or they may have different diets. ( Consider the Italians ). I certainly wouldn't be drinking wine in the hope of receiving health benefits.

Of course, as fluffy says, drinking it because it is enjoyable is another matter altogether!
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Longevity and Wine
written by The SkepDoc, October 13, 2009
Yes, the benefits of wine or other forms of alcohol amount to a correlation rather than a proven causation. It's just something that might be helpful to factor in with other risk factors. I don't think anyone is recommending that patients who don't drink should start drinking to protect their heart. And there are people who clearly should avoid alcohol for health reasons like liver disease. If you don't accept the wine/heart connection that makes the resveratrol arguments just that much weaker.
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written by MadScientist, October 13, 2009
Oh great. "If a little makes you live longer, mega doses will make you live even longer!" That would be a silly assumption even if it *were* proven that rasputinol (or whatever the hell name they're selling) helped humans live longer. Cobalt is essential to human metabolism - and so is copper - and yet both can be quite lethal even in relatively small quantities.
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written by MadScientist, October 13, 2009
@Kajabla61: An anagram is a word or phrase which makes use of the same set of letters as another word or phrase. Since everyone seems to quote Inigo Montoya from Princess Bride, I'll succumb to the herd behavior: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Here's an example of an anagram:
original: Osama Bin Laden
anagram: Lesbian on Adam

And just to pile on the woo-woo - note that there are 13 letters - proof that Osama is evil!
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written by sailor, October 14, 2009
Why would anyone want to exchange the pleasure of drinking a couple of glasses of red wine with taking some icky pill?
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written by tctheunbeliever, October 14, 2009
Well, it's easier than drinking 378 glasses of wine every night. And less fatal.
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written by GusGus, October 14, 2009
And (believe it or not) there ARE those of us who do not enjoy wine and would like to have the benefits without having to drink the stuff!
.
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written by Tanydon, October 14, 2009
The golden rule is, always be very suspicious of any supplement that claims it can cure or ward off cancer. It's the one claim that all the fraudsters always go for.
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written by bosshog, October 14, 2009
"Wouldn't it be great if we could figure out what is in the alcohol that improves health and put it in a pill that couldn't make you tipsy? "

Blasphemy!
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written by TomAnderson, October 14, 2009
I was skeptical of this from the first time I saw it. I was surprised (and this was months ago) not to see anything on randi.org about it. It's good to see you folks finally get around to this silliness.
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278 glasses?
written by Todd W., October 14, 2009
You can take one little pill to get the equivalent of the resveratrol in 278 five ounce glasses of Pinot Noir.


Let's hope that the chemical doesn't have any adverse effects. Imagine, one pill containing the damaging potential of 278 glasses (assuming the pill actually contains the substance in consistent levels)! But, meh, safety and efficacy testing is for losers under the thumb of "The Man".
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written by Caller X, October 14, 2009
Wouldn't it be great if we could figure out what is in the alcohol


I'm pretty sure that the only thing in the alcohol is alcohol. Would a little editing kill you?

You can already buy wine with the alcohol removed. Resveratrol just takes that a step further by eliminating the water and most of the other substances in wine. Really, who cares? What's your major malfunction? Who put the resveratrol bee in your Dubonnet? This article makes me long for one of Jeff's quota fillers, or else a quick, painless death.
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written by Alan3354, October 14, 2009
Some abbreviations are not acronyms. ROTFL, for example, is not an acronym.
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written by MadScientist, October 14, 2009
@Alan3354: Why is ROTFL not an acronym? If it were a typical abbrev. then what single word does it shorten? What def. of acronym are you going by?
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written by Kuroyume, October 14, 2009
Depends how strict a definition of acronym (beginning-name) being used. ROTFL is an initialism (made up of the first letters of each word in a phrase). According to some sources, abbreviation is more appropriate being that the initialism does not form a speakable word like an acronym (e.g.: NASA, scuba, Faq, laser, snafu).

Therefore, I choose abbreviation initialism. smilies/smiley.gif

On topic: More wine? (see: "A Clockwork Orange")
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Definition of Alcohol
written by The SkepDoc, October 14, 2009
I have checked several dictionaries that all define alcohol as "a drink containing alcohol." I think most readers understood that perfectly. If your doctor asks you if you drink alcohol do you say no because you only drink beer and wine, not ethanol? Are you deliberately trying to be mean and picky?

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Who Cares about Resveratrol?
written by The SkepDoc, October 14, 2009
I care, and at least one other commenter apparently does. I have no beef with the chemical itself. It prolongs life in animals and I hope it will in humans, too. My beef is with selling drugs that have not been tested in humans, and with the lack of critical thinking skills that allow the public to accept a "natural" remedy that they would never accept if it were labelled "pharmaceutical." A drug is a drug whether it comes from grape skins or a chemical synthesis in a lab. I am very concerned about the misconceptions created by the DSHEA and I fervently wish it could be repealed.
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written by DarkZenGuitar, October 14, 2009
I have always attributed the effects of a glass of wine or a drink to the relaxing effect, which would probably lower stress, which may in turn prolong life. I never thought of it as some magic additive that makes you live longer.
I'd love to see a study comparing using a relaxation technique, a drink and a control. My bet is that the outcomes would be amazingly similar.
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written by Otara, October 14, 2009
The whole point of these is they're not entirely supported by research. These kinds of things are always marketted in the basis of 'you' getting to be part of the inner circle or smart people or whatever, either having access to the ancient knowedge or the new up and coming knowledge or whatever.

If it was just a standard product it wouldnt have the same allure. And of course wouldnt be able to claim it could 'maybe' cause world peace etc.
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written by Kuroyume, October 14, 2009
Yes. Human psychology. "Being in the know" or "being on the inside". It has been a standard draw for people to do many weird things: cults, religions, secret societies, audiophilia. Anything that apparently provides you with an advantage over other people makes you feel better about yourself with respect to others not in the know (I won't say 'superior').
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written by Alan3354, October 14, 2009
acronym - a word formed from the initial letters or groups of letters of words in a set phrase or series of words, as Wac from Women's Army Corps, OPEC from Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or loran from long-range navigation.

"a word", not just letters.

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Thanks to all
written by Kajabla61, October 14, 2009
I did mean acronym - thanks for correcting me on that.

I am a little to serious for most people, please pardon my bluntness.

I know I could have looked it up but I have higher expectations of Skeptic sites than I would for chat rooms - if I were to ever visit one.

The kind answers and corrections are appreciated.
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written by cokeramirez, October 15, 2009
Actually, it is recommended to have 1 serving of alcohol a day for a healthier and longer life.

Harvard researchers concluded about coronary heart disease that "Consumption of one or two drinks of beer, wine, or liquor per day has corresponded to a reduction in risk of approximately 20-40%.

A National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism study asserts that "The totality of evidence on moderate alcohol and CHD (coronary heart disease) supports a judgment of a cause-effect relationship... there are cardioprotective benefits associated with responsible, moderate alcohol intake."

The American Heart Association has also reported moderate consumption of alcohol to be associated with dramatically decreased risk of stroke among both men and women, regardless of age or ethnicity.

A study of about 6,000 people age 65 and older found that moderate drinkers have a 54% lower chance of developing dementia than abstainers. The type of alcohol beverage consumed (wine, spirits, or beer) didn't make a difference in the protective effects of drinking in moderation.


and the benefits are associated to alcohol, not only wine

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/AlcoholAndHealth.html
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written by Fanitullen, October 15, 2009
I did mean acronym - thanks for correcting me on that.


The correct word is still initialism. You don't pronounce it as a word - you pronounce it Er-Oh-Tee-Eff-Ell (every letter for itself), therefore it's not an acronym. ROTFL is an initialism.
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written by fluffy, October 15, 2009
Well you could pronounce it "rot-full" or something, if you were to say it out loud (but it's bad enough that people type it).
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written by Otara, October 15, 2009
In Australia at least the recommendation was for non alcohol drinkers to stay that way. Ie while an effect has been found, it is not recommended that anyone increase alcohol consumption until a clearer mechanism for the result has been identified.
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Actually, Human clinical trials have started.
written by dtswan, November 09, 2009
I agree with most of the original blog. However, clinical trials of resveratrol have been started at Sirtris (a division of GlaxoSmithKline), http://www.sirtris.com . So the statement, "But it has never been tested at all in humans!" is not quite correct. Human testing is ongoing. The Phase I study on SRT501 (a resveratrol fomulation) is complete. Phase IIa studies are now in the Oncology phase.

Once these studies are complete, we will have a better idea of the effects (or non-effects) of resveratrol on humans.
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Sirtris link is incorrect
written by dtswan, November 09, 2009
I posted the wrong link to Sirtris. It should have been: http://www.sirtrispharma.com
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