Some plants make resveratrol as a way to protect themselves against fungal infection, ultraviolet radiation, injury and stress. Researchers believe resveratrol could extend the human life span, and protect people against a wide range of diseases such as cancer, type II diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and heart disease.
In the early 1990s, resveratrol was linked to the so-called French paradox (the observation that the French population possesses a lower risk of coronary heart disease despite consuming a diet rich in saturated fats), and the presence of resveratrol in red wine was established.
Resveratrol (trans-3,4’,5-trihydroxystilbene) in blueberries has been demonstrated not only to be potent antioxidant (~ 20-50 times more effective than vitamin C) but also to act synergistically with vitamin C, enhancing the effects of each.
It possesses significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may benefit bone health. Resveratrol is the most extensively investigated for its osteogenic action in bone formation as well as bone resorption.
Resveratrol also has been demonstrated to have an anti-clotting effect that prevents the formation of thrombi (blood clots) that may block vessels and cause heart attacks and stroke.
Research in 1997 reported how resveratrol can inhabit the start of carcinogenesis, stopping cancer progression at its initial stages (Science. 1997 Jan 10;275(5297):218-20).
Resveratrol in blueberries
