Resveratrol May Help Prevent Age-related Macular Degeneration

Dear Reader, 

It's become a favourite joke at dinner parties: "Another glass? Sure. But only because it's good for my heart." 

Yes, when the news of resveratrol's heart-healthy benefits came out, the red wine started to flow a little more freely. 

Well, watch out! Because new research is giving us even more excuses...eh, reasons...to pour another glass. 

Looking good 

Resveratrol's heart-healthy benefits are due mostly to improved circulation. And that improvement may also help you avoid one of the most common sources of vision loss: age- related macular degeneration (AMD). 

There are two varieties of age-related macular degeneration: dry and wet. You don't want either, but you especially don't want wet, which progresses faster and creates a much higher risk of vision loss. 

In wet AMD, the retina is damaged by tiny blood vessels that develop behind it — a process called angiogenesis. 

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis wondered if resveratrol might inhibit angiogenesis. They began by using a laser to prompt micro- capillary formation in the eyes of mice. 

Then, when they fed the mice resveratrol, two things happened: Micro-capillary formation was inhibited, and blood vessels that had already formed were diminished. 

Of course, more research is needed before we can say resveratrol has the same effect on humans with AMD. Hopefully that will prove to be the case because angiogenesis also plays a role in diabetic retinopathy (another common cause of vision loss), heart disease, and cancer tumour growth. 

With potential benefits like that, all I can say is: Pour me another glass! 

And, if red wine doesn't have you raising your glass, try blueberries and peanuts, two more excellent sources of resveratrol. 



"All forms of vitamin E count in Alzheimer's protection, finds study" Lorraine Heller, NutraIngredients-USA, 7/8/10, nutraingredients-usa.com


We've been telling you about the benefits of full spectrum vitamin E for years. 

The four tocopherol forms of the vitamin are generally more common. But in 2003, Dr. Spreen described the four tocotrienol forms as "icing on the cake." 

And now we know that adding that icing just might help you avoid Alzheimer's disease (AD). 

In a new study from Sweden, researchers took blood samples from more than 230 subjects over the age of 80. None had any signs of dementia. 

Within six years, nearly 60 cases of Alzheimer's were diagnosed. Comparing blood analysis to AD cases, researchers found that subjects with the highest levels of all eight vitamin E forms reduced their risk of AD by about half compared to subjects with low E levels. 

Here's what Dr. Spreen had to say back in 2003: "There has been considerable peer-review research concerning the benefit of tocotrienols in even more than just cardiovascular disease, to include aging, Alzheimer’s disease, breast disease and others." 

Alzheimer's disease? You heard it here first. 

To Your Good Health, 

Jenny Thompson
HSI Director 

P.S. This month’s Health Sciences Institute (HSI) newsletter will tell you everything about the mineral that could revolutionise the way we treat Alzheimer’s Disease, strokes and depression. You'll also discover how to increase your liver function and reverse the risk of diabetes and heart disease with a new all-natural liver support formula. Plus we’ll give you full details about the ancient herb that has the ability to take on Alzheimer’s, diabetes and fatigue. 

All new members who sign up to the Health Sciences Institute will receive the latest issue of HSI along with a FREE encyclopaedia, HSI's 100 Greatest Underground Cures... Soon you’ll discover why our premium members believe HSI is the ultimate resource for anyone seeking a better, newer solution to their health problems. problems. 

Click here for full details.

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Sources: 

"Resveratrol Regulates Pathologic Angiogenesis by a Eukaryotic Elongation Factor-2 Kinase-Regulated Pathway" American Journal of Pathology, Vol. 177, No. 1, July 2010, ajm.amjpathol.org