Ponce de leon research for the fountain of youth has been continued by many, including researchers and scientitists. Until recently, only a few practices have received recognition as effective for life extension by the scientific community. Among them are exercise and severe caloric restriction.

Exercise has been shown to indisputably and significantly increase health and lifespan and lower the incidence of several diseases.

Severe Caloric Restriction is the practice of limiting dietary energy intake with the goal of improving health and retarding aging. A review has shown that practitioners of a caloric restriction diet had significantly better cardiovascular health. In human subject, caloric restriction has been shown to lower cholesterol, fasting glucose, and blood pressure. Caloric restriction is capable of extending maximum lifespan by up to 50% in animals. In caloric restrictions, energy intake is minimized, but sufficient quantities of vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients (including phytochemicals from herbs) must be eaten.

There are many theories, but a prevalent one points at our genetic materials for answer. There is a gene in baker's yeast cell, sir2 or “Silent Information regulator 2,” that extends lifespan by suppressing DNA instability. Recent discoveries have suggested that the sir2 gene might underlie the life extending effect of caloric restriction. In baker's yeast the sir2 enzymes is activated by caloric restriction, which leads to a 30% lifespan extension.

However, caloric restrictions comes into conflict with the high calorie needs of athletic humans or individuals in high stress circumstances, and may not provide adequate levels of energy or sufficient amino acids for repair. Caloric restriction may lead to other less daunting approaches to attaining longevity.

A recent article published in Newsweek magazine by Harvard medical Studies researches David Sinclair, M.D. and Anthony Romanoff, M.D., entitled “Can We Slow Aging,” strongly touted the benefits of resveratrol as an anti-aging substance. Resveratrol activates a natural family of enzymes in the human body that seems to improve the health and survival of animals. Dr. Sinclair expressed the theory, and provides tantalizing support, that resveratrol provides the same benefits as caloric restriction, but without the “torture” of semi-starving oneself.

The studies support and conducted by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health and published in the prestigious journal Nature showed that resveratrol-fed mice on high-fat diets lived at least 15% longer than untreated animals. In addition the resvratrol fed animals seemed to be in better health than the untreated mice. In fact, mice on a high-calorie, high-fat diet that were also given resveratrol developed none of the cardiovascular and metabolic complications experienced by mice fed the same diet, but not given resveratol. Instead, they maintained the physiology of a lean mouse! In addition, these resveratrol-fed mice were physically more active than untreated and overfed mice on physical performance tests. The most remarkable part was that “resveratrol reduced the risk of death by 30 percent.”

Studies have not yet been conducted on humans, and it is impossible to know for certain yet that resveratol has any influence on human's diseases. But the Newsweek article characterized the evidence supported the health benefits of resveratrol as “tantalizing.” Perhaps an understatement.

Muscadinia is rich in other very important phenolic compounds, including catechinhs and quercetin.

Catechins are a class of compounds generally associated with tea plant. Catechins are potent antioxidants and have been found to have many health benefits. Catechins have strong anti-microbial action.

Quercetin is a flavanol widely found throughout the plant kingdom. Flavanols are one form of the better-known bioflavonoids. It is a very potent antioxidant with many established health benefits. Quercetin is a powerful inhibitor of antigen-stimulated histamine release. It is the histamine and other allergic mediators that trigger the misery of allergic reactions: runny, itchy nose and sneezing; watery, itchy red eyes; tickling and itching in ears, nose and throat; skin rash; headache; asthma etc. Quercetin has been extensively studied for its anticancer activity.

Before concluding it is also important to say that Muscadinia is also rich source of ellagic, and antioxidant with a wide range of actions and benefits. Ellagic acid is the antioxidant that makes pomegranate and strawberries so healthy. Muscadinia is high in an amazing range of powerful antioxidants, including lycopene, geistein, daidzein, pterostilbene, gallic acid, kaempherol, myrecetin and others. All of these antioxidants molecules have been shown to be beneficial to the human body.

Enjoy,

By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari