Good Resveratrol Sources – What are they?
Resveratrol is a polyphenolic compound which is found in grapes, red wine, peanuts, and some berries. It is used to treat diseases of the blood vessels, heart, and liver. It also lowers the incidence of heart disease. When taken orally, it is rapidly metabolized and eliminated. It is also found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and extend lifespan of humans. It has antioxidant properties better than any other well-known antioxidants. It inhibits free radical formation and was found effective against tumors of the skin, breast, gastrointestinal tract, lung, and prostate glands. Resveratrol extract is widely used as a nutritional supplement due to its anti-aging properties. It is mainly found in the skin, pulp and seeds of muscadine grapes. The number of resveratrol grapes might vary according to the origin, location and exposure to fungal infections. Grape vines grown on a commercial scale might not have enough resveratrol as these plants would be chemical sprayed to fight the fungal infections. The fermentation time also has a bearing on the quantity of resveratrol in wines.
What are good resveratrol sources?
Red wine is the most commonly known resveratrol source but it is not the only source, there are still other sources like:
- Roots of white hellebore plant
- Grapes
- Yucca
- Eucalyptus
- Spruce
- Lily
- Blueberries
- Cranberries
- Bilberries
- Mulberries
- Peanuts
- Chocolate
Japanese Knotweed which is also known as polygonum cuspidatum is the major source of resveratrol in resveratrol supplements and it is used to make itadori tea. Grapes is also one of the most popular source of resveratrol and vitis vinifera, labrusca, and muscadine grapes have been found to be the ones carrying the highest concentration of resveratrol but, it greatly depends on the duration of the grape skins that remain in the production process.