Resveratrol is a phytoalexin, a chemical compound that is found naturally in some plants. It is referred to as a phytoalexin because the plants produce the natural compound as an antibiotic substance to ward off fungi, bacteria and other pathogenic attacks. Resveratrol is found in red grapes, (skin, seeds and vines), in mulberries, raspberries, cranberries and blueberries, in peanuts, certain pine trees and also in the Japanese knotweed plant.

It is because of the fact that the compound has had an impact in the French people, making them have less coronary heart disease complications, and making them have healthy lifestyles that stirred the interest of many, hence it’s being manufactured as a natural nutritional supplement. Observers noticed that even though the French people ate a lot of fatty foods, they still recorded low cases of heart diseases, and they discovered it is because of the red wine that formed part of their diets.

It is however important to note that the resveratrol constituent in red wine is very minimal thus it might be the case of long term use of red wine.  Perhaps the most common source of resveratrol is peanuts, although it is still in very low concentrations, but is much higher compare to certain berries. Studies show that using resveratrol will substantially reduce cases of memory loss, lengthen tolerance, fight aging and the most recent studies show that it can actually combat retroviruses like herpes simplex and HIV.

A roman saying goes like “In Vino Sanitas” which construes to mean “In wine there is health”. There is no doubt that there are abundant health benefits to be reaped from red wine. However, it might not be affordable to all, because low quality red wines will not contain substantial amounts of resveratrol. The reason why one would need resveratrol supplements which are manufactured with high concentrations of the compound.

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