Resveratrol is a substance found in the skins of red grapes, purple grape juice, red wine, peanuts and several varieties of berries, including bilberries, blueberries and cranberries. Resveratrol got a lot of attention in the press in the past few years as a possible explanation of the "French Paradox"--the fact that the relatively high-fat diet of the French does not lead to a high incidence of heart disease, possibly because the French tend to drink red wine (made, of course, from red grapes) with their meals. Resveratrol is also available as a supplement (pills or liquid) and is often added to multivitamin formulas. A growing number of studies is confirming that resveratrol may indeed offer some health benefits, though the Mayo Clinic cautions that most of these studies have been done on animals, and that long-term studies on humans, though ongoing, have yet to show any conclusive results.
Heart
According to the Mayo Clinic, resveratrol may promote heart health through protecting blood vessels from damage and reducing LDL, or the "bad" cholesterol that can lead to blocked arteries and heart attacks.
Blood Clots
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, resveratrol has shown potential as a reducer of blood clots. The center notes that this effect is similar to aspirin's anti-blood-clotting properties, though aspirin, as of 2009, is still the standard treatment for preventing blood clots that can lead to strokes.
Cancer
Resveratrol has shown some promise at inhibiting cancer cells in animal studies. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, cancer and resveratrol human studies are currently underway, and some preliminary results from human cancer cells treated with resveratrol outside of the body (in a culture medium) show that resveratrol has the potential to inhibit stomach, colon, breast, prostate, thyroid and pancreatic cancers.
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