Resveratrol is?

Resveratrol from Red Wine: Where does it come from and what is it?
Wine Resveratrol: What is it? Often referred to as “The French Paradox,” “Super Anti-oxidant,” “Anti-aging Breakthrough” and even “The New Fountain of Youth,” resveratrol is getting a lot of press and attention lately. But what exactly is resveratrol and why is everyone so excited about it?

Resveratrol is a compound that many plants and even trees use to fight of fungus, mold and bacteria. Plants use resveratrol as a type of natural antibiotic. While resveratrol can be found in cranberries, strawberries, peanuts and even eucalyptus trees, resveratrol is most abundant in and commonly associated with the skin of grape varieties used to make red wine.

"Resveratrol is 'Nature's Medicine' for Cancer, Heart Disease and Much More."
Where Does Resveratrol Come From? Many plants and trees contain resveratrol, but the grape varietals labrusca, muscadine and Vitis vinifera are thought to have the highest concentrations of resveratrol among all the grape varieties.

Vitis labrusca is better known by its common name – Fox grape. May popular varieties of the Fox grape are: Concord, Catawba, Delaware and Niagara. Most of the public would be most familiar with the Concord grape, as it is used in many popular non-alcoholic grape juice blends. The juice from the Fox grape is also widely used to flavor and make jams and jellies. Most wines made from this grape tend to be dessert wines and are often described as having a “musty” of “foxy” flavor.

Muscadine grapes are another variety of grapes that should be very familiar to consumers. Though many people may not recognize the name immediately, muscadines are very common table grape. Muscadine wines are most popular in the Southern United States and tend to be very sweet. Though muscadine grapes are not used in a lot of the higher end wines today, the have seen a resurgence in popularity due in part to their high levels of resveratrol.

Vitis vinifera, or the common grape vine is the mostly widely grown wine grape varietal on the planet. For obvious reasons, this grape variety is not grown in Antarctica. Vinifera grapes are used to make both red and white wines. However, it is widely accepted that red wines contain the highest concentrations of resveratrol. Some of the most popular red wines made with Vitis vinifera are Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

How was Resveratrol Discovered? Depending on your sense of humor, the discovery of resveratrol might be a pretty humorous story. Back in 1819 the Irish physician Samuel Black noticed that the though the French had a diet very high in saturated fats, the incidence of heart disease for the citizens of France was very low. This Irish physician’s initial discovery led to the term French Paradox being coined in 1992 by Dr. Renaud of the French University – Bordeaux.

In a special aired on the television program 60 minutes in 1991, the anchors and producers interviewed many doctors and residence of France about the French Paradox. During this episode of 60 Minutes, it was suggested that red wine was “cause” of the French paradox. Specifically, the French consume large amounts of red wine on a daily basis. It was believed that the chemicals within red wine, like resveratrol, counter-acted the health risks associated with a high fat diet.

ight after the 60 minutes special on resveratrol aired, red wine sales spiked by 44% in the U.S. Now, with America facing an obesity and heart disease epidemic the focus on finding healthy supplements like resveratrol has become a top priority for many medical professionals.

Source From: http://www.redwineresveratrol.net/news/what-is-resveratrol.html