281 replies to this topic

[maxhealth]

The product used in this study is called Bioforte, it is a 500mg pure resveratrol formulation with over 250mg of the trans isomer. It is being sold to the public now at http://www.bioflu.co...rte/default.php. I am the general manager of the company. Until about one month ago we only sold resveratrol to labs and research institutes. Bioforte is the highest potentcy resveratrol product available and the only one that allows a user to replicate the dosages used in the recent studies on mice.

[FunkOdyssey]

The product used in this study is called Bioforte, it is a 500mg pure resveratrol formulation with over 250mg of the trans isomer. It is being sold to the public now at http://www.bioflu.co...rte/default.php. I am the general manager of the company. Until about one month ago we only sold resveratrol to labs and research institutes. Bioforte is the highest potentcy resveratrol product available and the only one that allows a user to replicate the dosages used in the recent studies on mice.

That's a bold claim... any proof? I think you are grossly underestimating the intelligence of our membership.

Your website is still geared up for your last attempt to capitalize on a major health news item (bird flu). To imagine it represents a serious, professional organization is quite a stretch.

I was the target of some attempted viral marketing of this Bioforte product. Someone contacted me on Myspace (Dec 5, 2006) introducing Bioforte and suggesting that I spread the word about it here at ImmInst. Failing that, I see a more direct approach is now being taken. [ang]

Edited by FunkOdyssey, 21 December 2006 - 03:29 PM.

[opales]

That's a bold claim... any proof?  I think you are grossly underestimating the intelligence of our membership.

Your website is still geared up for your last attempt to capitalize on a major health news item (bird flu).  To imagine it represents a serious, professional organization is quite a stretch.

I was the target of some attempted viral marketing of this Bioforte product.  Someone contacted me on Myspace (Dec 5, 2006) introducing Bioforte and suggesting that I spread the word about it here at ImmInst.  Failing that, I see a more direct approach is now being taken.  [ang]

The claim is not true, if he refers to Sinclair's groups results. Supplementary info to that paper states:

http://www.nature.co...ure05354-s1.doc

Resveratrol (> 98%) was purchased from Orchid Pharmaceuticals (Aurangabad, India) and mixed to homogeneity during manufacturing of the diets (Dyets Inc., Bethlehem, PA).

[FunkOdyssey]

See, this is why dishonesty doesn't pay. This thread will likely achieve a higher google rank than Bioforte's own website. Every time someone googles the product, they will arrive here, viewing this false claim that was made and the evidence rebutting it.

Doh! [tung]

Edited by FunkOdyssey, 21 December 2006 - 03:49 PM.

[opales]

The following was posted on the CR society list today by a certain ImmInst/CR society member. [Edit: MR claims/confesses credit for this]

All:

I keep getting off-list requests for comment on what I think about resveratrol supplementation at this time. My conclusion is that there is no good evidence at this time to support its efficacy as a CR mimetic or true anti-aging drug, and that unless you're obese, it's a very bad bet.

So far, resveratrol is 70%+ hype. No one has yet demonstrated a genuine life extension efect in normal, healthy organisms: the Sinclair mouse study is in normalizing (mostly) the LS of obese animals, and all of Sinclair's results with lower organisms are actually (a) a lot smaller than they're usually said to be (if you look in the full text of his reports, the abstract and press-hype reports are for the best cases, with others showing little effect at all) and (b) in unusually short-lived colonies relative to historical controls. Kaeberlein et al tried to reproduce the effect, and got nothing in longer-lived yeasts and only a marginal effect in the short-lived strain Sinclair used:

http://lists.milepos...society&P=R4715

User name: seemysig@googlemail.com Password: simplepassword

The fish study would be more interesting, but it's difficult on a couple of grounds, most notably because we don't have enough historical controls to know how good the control group was. the study was in 157 animals, 110 of which were controls, to whch the authors added a 132-fish historical control group -- from their OWN lab. They also compare these results to 2 previous reports, but again from their own laboratory. Of course, if their lab is just not doing a particularly good job of caring for the animals, we'd have no way to know. This has been a consistent confounder in many alleged LS-extending studies: short-lived controls. Without a better knowledge of what a healthy fish of this species really looks like , the result is suspect even for this species.

On TOP of this, as the abstract says, "Short lifespan in this species is... a natural trait correlated with the necessity to breed in an ephemeral habitat and tied with accelerated development and expression of ageing biomarkers at a cellular level" -- so that they may in fact be a so-called "accelerated aging model," which of course is a petitio principii, because it ASSUMES that what causes the premature aging-like phenotype in these animals is the SAME thing that causes SOME of the same phenotypic features in "normal" aging.

Without a way to address either of these 2 issues, this could well be just another case of correcting for a defect in the control group (as in the Sinclair mouse result). As Walford says in BT120YD on this subject, "Show me the 45-month-old mouse."

Also, we have no real way to extrapolate dosages to humans. Flavonoids are metabolized in complex pathways, which vary quite significantly from rodents to humans, and affect both blood and organ-specific bioavailability; in Sinclair's original report, he found that activation of SIRT1 deacetylation activity by resveratrol was a very u-shaped phenomenon: "At higher concentrations of [trans-]resveratrol >50micM) **the effect was reversed,** which may explain the dichotomy in the literature regarding the effects of resveratrol on cell viability". Until we know what the right oral dose is to get the right tissue concentration in the right organ type, we could well INHIBIT SIRT1 activity -- supposing that that's even the mechanism of the CR-mimetic effect, and supposing that there even IS a CR-mimetic effect.

There's also the question of whether resveratrol IN REAL-WORLD CARCINOGENESIS (as opposed to genetic mutants or animals fed huge doses of hideous toxins) might actually ENHANCE cancer progression by the very action that it seems to extend LS in yeasts: inhibiting p53. See this report that "*Inhibition* of SIRT1 *Reactivates* Silenced Cancer Genes" in breast and colon cancer cell lines":

http://lists.milepos...ociety&P=R13120


And there's more, but I'm afraid I must be a bit of a Scrooge with my time -- ironically, *especially* so close to the Rebirth of the Divine Child, Sol Invictus (In Hoc Nomine Vinces!) ..

Someone at the list made investigations, and the below study appears to indicate that overexpression of SIRT-1 (putative target of resveratrol) is indeed involved in various cancers.

Hida Y, Kubo Y, Murao K, Arase S. Strong expression of a longevity-related protein, SIRT1, in Bowen's disease. Arch Dermatol Res. 2006 Dec 20; [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 17180656

The class III histone deacetylase (HDAC), SIRT1, is a mammalian homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromatin-silencing factor Sir2 that regulates longevity. SIRT1 regulates cell survival via deacetylation of p53 and forkhead transcription factors, and overexpression of SIRT1 is reported to be essential for cell growth and survival in some kinds of cancer. To elucidate the role of SIRT1 in human skin carcinogenesis, we have examined SIRT1 protein expression in 20 cases each of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), Bowen's disease (BD), and actinic keratosis (AK) by immunohistochemical analysis. Overexpression of SIRT1 is frequently observed in all kinds of non-melanoma skin cancers included in this study. In particular, strong expression was observed in all cases of BD. In addition, no obvious difference between AK and SCC was observed in the expression of SIRT1, suggesting that overexpression of SIRT1 may have some relevance to the early stage of skin carcinogenesis. We suppose that SIRT1 could be one of the critical targets for future therapy with the aim of inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis in non-melanoma skin cancers.

Edited by Michael, 23 February 2012 - 04:43 PM.

[health_nutty]

I'm curious to hear what Duke and Funk have to say on this.

[xanadu]

opales, you seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel in a desperate attempt to discredit the newest and most promising supplement. Now it's an unnamed imminst member's rant and a maybe and perhaps in a study. Is that the best you can come up with? That alone makes me think resveratrol must be a good thing. Another way of looking at that cancer study is that if the sirt1 gene is that closely involved in cancer expression, that indicates it could be a key link in preventing it. No reports so far of any cancer in those who take a high dose of res via red wine or grapes. Just the opposite in fact. Cheer up, maybe some bad news will come along and make your day.

[FunkOdyssey]

I'm curious to hear what Duke and Funk have to say on this.

His is a valid, conservative opinion. I will say that even if resveratrol can only do 30% of what it is promised to do, it would still remain one of the biggest things going. There is certainly an element of recklessness involved in taking massive doses of resveratrol based on animal data alone when its effects in humans are not completely understood.

I guess some of us just like to live dangerously. [tung]

xanadu: opales is quoting MR from the CR list above -- not exactly the baseless rant of a nobody. His thoughts are always worthy of consideration.

[maxhealth]

In reply to the question of which supplement provides high dose resveratrol see URL removed -Funk I am taking a 1.5 gm daily does of trans-resveratrol using this one. One advantage in addition to the dosage is that their supplement is pure resveratrol so one need not consume massive quantities of other ingredients just to achieve a high dose of resveratrol.

[FunkOdyssey]

In reply to the question of which supplement provides high dose resveratrol see URL removed -Funk I am taking a 1.5 gm daily does of trans-resveratrol using this one. One advantage in addition to the dosage is that their supplement is pure resveratrol so one need not consume massive quantities of other ingredients just to achieve a high dose of resveratrol.

Are you kidding me? No one asked the question of "which supplement provides high dose resveratrol". You haven't even attempted to explain the blatant lie about your product being used in Sinclair's study. You are done advertising here.

[Matt]

Michael makes excellent posts to the CRS and are always well thought out posts. In fact, a lot of recommendations hes made over the years hes actually been or being proven correct on. He worked with supplements, I would take notice of what he says. I think hes got good judgment anyway.

[VP.]

I love skepticism. MR brings up some good points but I don't see anything devastating in his remarks. It's no doubt still too early to say if resveratrol will do anything for humans, but it's not to early to say that early results are most intriguing. Sinclair is not the only researcher finding good news about STACs (sirtuin activators). MR's statement that "the Sinclair mouse study is in normalizing (mostly) the LS of obese animals" is just too much. The average American diet is 35% fat, so to say that all Sinclair is doing is normalizing obese animals is ridiculous. If "normalizing" a high fat diet means eliminating most/all the health effects of a high fat western diet then resveratrol is indeed a miracle drug. We will find out this summer if resveratrol does anything for normal mice lifespan. Also MR does not mention anything about Dr Auwerx's study that shows remarkable increases mice endurance. From NYT:

Dr. Ronald M. Evans, an expert on the hormonal control of metabolism at the Salk Institute, said the report by Dr. Auwerx’s team had “shown very convincingly that resveratrol improves mitochondrial function” and fends off metabolic disease. He described the study as “very important, because it is rare that we identify orally active molecules, especially natural molecules, that have such a broad-based, positive effect on a problem which is as widespread in society as metabolic disease.”
The buzz over sirtuin activators has infected scientists who do research on the aging process, several of whom are already taking resveratrol. Dr. Sinclair has been swallowing resveratrol capsules for three years and has said his parents and half the members of his laboratory do the same. So does Dr. Tomas Prolla at the University of Wisconsin, who said, “The fact that investigators in the field are taking it is a good sign there is something there.”

I believe many posters on the ImmInst boards take some fairly iffy supplements, but I believe resveratrol is in another class altogether.

[fearfrost]

Are you kidding me?  No one asked the question of "which supplement provides high dose resveratrol".  You haven't even attempted to explain the blatant lie about your product being used in Sinclair's study.  You are done advertising here.

Good call. I am not sure, but maxhealth seems a little fishy. I am new here though, so dont listen to what I have to say.

You might want to check out his other post:
http://www.imminst.o...=0

If he really is the general manager for bioflu, than why did he just start taking resveratrol. Seems like if you have a company and you really believe in it's product, you too would be using it right away.

Anyways, Im new to this board and have been furiously reading all of your posts Funk. Very intriguing. I just started a resveratrol regime yesterday so I'll be posting every once in a while to say if I notice any effects. None so far, just maybe some energy, but Im usually very energetic so its hard to tell.

Cheers!

[DukeNukem]

>>> I'm curious to hear what Duke and Funk have to say on this.

I've got nothing valuable to say. While I'm upping my dosage, I wouldn't consider it a true mega-dose. I'm probably going up to 350mg daily.

I think MR is invested in CR on many levels (emotionally, cognitively, etc.) and is protecting his turf a little. But, that's not to say he doesn't have good points. I try to weigh all respectable opinions in coming to my own conclusion. If I were 20 years younger I'd likely hold back a little on resveratrol, but at 45 I need to place a few bets.

[ageless]

Guys let us know if you ever experience any noticeable benefits/sides from high>50mg doses... thanks.

[smcracraft]

I felt more energy at 150mg per day.

I am working my way up to 200-400 but have backed down to 50mg
because of supply concerns, until the current shortage is over
of the Licaps at Longevatrol/Vitacost/NSI.

[ageless]

I felt more energy at 150mg per day.

I am working my way up to 200-400 but have backed down to 50mg
because of supply concerns, until the current shortage is over
of the Licaps at Longevatrol/Vitacost/NSI.

Thanks for that... interesting to note that i have read a couple others claiming possible increases in energy and that was something i thought i felt when i began using 50-100mg resveratrol daily. It wasn't really something i expected either so doubt placebo would be the reason.

[opales]

>>> I'm curious to hear what Duke and Funk have to say on this.

I've got nothing valuable to say.  While I'm upping my dosage, I wouldn't consider it a true mega-dose.  I'm probably going up to 350mg daily.

I think MR is invested in CR on many levels (emotionally, cognitively, etc.) and is protecting his turf a little.  But, that's not to say he doesn't have good points.  I try to weigh all respectable opinions in coming to my own conclusion. If I were 20 years younger I'd likely hold back a little on resveratrol, but at 45 I need to place a few bets.

I'd like to emphasize that MR's words were directed at Cronies (which btw applies to his anti fish oil hypothesis too).

[tedsez]

All the resveratrol supplements on the market seem to consist mostly or entirely of Japanese knotweed extract.

Do they have a way of isolating trans-resveratrol, or are these extracts basically just Japanese knotweed in concentrated form? If it's the latter, I don't see how any product can claim to have a higher percentage of trans-resveratrol than any other.

[maxwatt]

There are grape skin extracts containing resveratrol, but these are a more expensive source and I have not seen them used alone. Usually the amount of actual resveratrol is not specified,.

Polygonum cuspidatum, a.k.a. Mexican Bamboo or Japanese Knotweed, is the most concentrated source of resveratrol known. The roots contain on average 1.35% resveratrol. True to its name, Knotweed grows like a weed and is considered a noxious plant, where naturalized in North America. I've seen stands of it growing by the road in New Jersey as I've passed through.

Resveratrol is extracted from the ground-up root, leaves and stalk with either methanol (which may leave some residue in the finished product) or with ethanol, flash heated with microwave radiation for 8 to 13 seconds, and purified by HPLC. This is a continuous process on an industrial scale, producing kilograms at a time. The initial pass results in a solution of 8% to 20% resveratrol. Repeated processing results in ever higher concentrations of resveratrol. Commercial bulk powders used in supplements contain between 20 and 50% resveratrol, the remainder of the product being miscellaneous polyphenols. One problem with these bulk powders is the emodin content. Emodin unfortunately is a powerful enough laxative to be undesireable in the relative high dosages we would want to take to emulate Sinclair's rats (350 to 500 mg/day.) There are low-emodin resveratrol products available at a 50% concentration of resveratrol, but they are more costly and require custom processing. Typically a 50% resveratrol bulk powder contains 10 to 20% emodin. No resveratrol product I've seen from P. cuspidatum claims to be low emodin. If it is not mentioned on the label, there is probably lots of emodin in the product.

Extracts of >98% resveratrol are obtained by repeated passes through the HPLC apparatus. One from China I have had tested contained 98.35% trans-resveratrol, 0.35% trans--resveratrol glucoside, and 0.15% cis-resveratrol. The rest was mostly moisture and ash, with insignificant heavy metal and bacterial plate count. The manufacturer states it is stable for >2 years at room temperature, if kept sealed and not exposed to light. No nitrogen needed. However, do not expect to see capsules made from this available any time soon. The FDA classes resveratrol as an experimental drug, and commercial supplement containing it would probably be considered to be adulterated under 21 U.S.C. 342(f)(l)(B).

98% resveratrol can be legally imported, if declared as an experimental drug. I am getting some of the Indian product used by Sinclair via Paul Wakfur's offer (Orchid is the manufacturer and supplier, not BioFlu guy). My eight year old dog could use some as an experiment, I suppose. So could I.

[VP.]

I believe the Orchid Chemical resveratrol supply is a synthetic chemical from a stereoselective process.

Abstract
The present invention relates to a new stereoselective method for the preparation of tris-O-substituted-(E)-1-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)ethene derivative of the formula (I) which is a key intermediate in the synthesis of trans-resveratrol (I, R2R2R3H). The invention also provides a method for the exclusive synthesis of trans-isomer of compounds of formula (I) without any contamination of cis-isomer.

Patent number: 6552213
Filing date: May 24, 2002
Issue date: Apr 22, 2003
Inventors: Pandurang Balwant Deshpande, Udayampalayam Palanisamy Senthilkumar, Gnanaprakasam Andrew
Assignee: Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited, India
Primary Examiner: Paul F. Shaver
Attorney: Oliff & Berridge, PLC

http://www.google.co...&dq=resveratrol

Thanks for the great info maxwatt and welcome to the boards. How and where are you having resveratrol tested? Have you had any resveratrol supplements tested for content?

[maxwatt]

Thank you, Velopismo. (Are you a cyclist?) I believe you are right about the Orchid product; this is why it costs more than twice as much as the Chinese extracts. Mother nature does most of the work at lower cost.

I use an analytic lab service where I was introduced by an associate. I've only tested pure resveratrol. I have a 50% sample, but have not yet had a reason to test it. I was looking for sources for myself and others; in my seventh decade too many of my friends and relatives are beginning to die of degenerative diseases. As the pure form is more likely to have the effects shown in the mouse tests, why pursue the 50% product?

My reasoning is: do any of the other polyphenols in an extract block the action of resveratrol? Until a 50% extract has been tested, at least on flatworms, I am reluctant to rely on it. {I have less time to wait than most of you :-} An example: Quercetin activates sir2 and sirt1 in vitro, but its metabolic products BLOCK the activation (one of Sinclair's papers; I am not going to search for the reference now.) I think that those mixing quercetin with their resveratrol are neutralizing the effect of resveratrol. Until a mixture is tested for live-extension, we cannot say if its effects are the same as pure resveratrol.

This is why I am taking advantage of Paul Wakfur's offer. It will be the same substance used successfully on mice. I do believe he is fully subscribed at this time, though this is only an inference. He should have enough material for personal investigative use for years, and probably will not repeat his offer.

I will be looking into what the minimum order for the Chinese 98% product will be. Shipping is the major cost for small quantities. I should be able to arrange for individual researchers to obtain the pure product for investigational purposes.

The FDA will not look kindly on supplements containing a 98% resveratrol ingredient. If any manufacturers want me to pursue low emodin 50% resveratrol, please contact me. I can have samples tested and arrange delivery if it is satisfactory. I have connections with two universities, and may be able to arrange a life extension test in flat worms.

FYI, I did not start out to develop a business with this, but after researching it, I found I can offer a service.

Currently I am looking into alternative AGE breakers to Alteon's alagebrium (ALT-711). I think these will be critical to preventing congestive heart failure even if one supplements with resveratrol. But this will be a separate post.

[VP.]

Are you a cyclist?

Yes, I am a cyclist. I agree with you about wanting what works in Sinclair's lab tests. I too have an order with Paul. That's interesting about quercetin and resveratrol. I hope it's not true since I've been taking Longevinex for over two years. Also tell me what you think about AGE breakers. Until I hear more, I'll wait before trying them. I have a few years left to make a decision. I'm going for a bike ride right now and fight heart disease the old fashioned way. ; )

Edited by velopismo, 24 December 2006 - 06:17 AM.

[ageless]

Thank you, Velopismo.  (Are you a cyclist?)  I believe you are right about the Orchid product; this is why it costs more than twice as much as the Chinese extracts.  Mother nature does most of the work at lower cost.

I use an analytic lab service where I was introduced by an associate.  I've only tested pure resveratrol.  I have a 50% sample, but have not yet had a reason to test it.  I was looking for sources for myself and others; in my seventh decade too many of my friends and relatives are beginning to die of degenerative diseases.  As the pure form is more likely to have the effects shown in the mouse tests, why pursue the 50% product?

My reasoning is:  do any of the other polyphenols in an extract block the action of resveratrol?  Until a 50% extract has been tested, at least on flatworms, I am reluctant to rely on it.  {I have less time to wait than most of you :-}  An example:  Quercetin activates sir2 and sirt1 in vitro, but its metabolic products BLOCK the activation (one of Sinclair's papers;  I am not going to search for the reference now.) I think that those mixing quercetin with their resveratrol are neutralizing the effect of resveratrol.  Until a mixture is tested for live-extension, we cannot say if its effects are the same as pure resveratrol. 

This is why I am taking advantage of Paul Wakfur's offer.  It will be the same substance used successfully on mice.  I do believe he is fully subscribed at this time, though this is only an inference.  He should have enough material for personal investigative use for years, and probably will not repeat his offer.

I will be looking into what the minimum order for the Chinese 98% product will be.  Shipping is the major cost for small quantities.  I should be able to arrange for individual researchers to obtain the pure product for investigational purposes. 

The FDA will not look kindly on supplements containing a 98% resveratrol ingredient.  If any manufacturers want me to pursue low emodin 50% resveratrol, please contact me.  I can have samples tested and arrange delivery if it is satisfactory.  I have connections with two universities, and may be able to arrange a life extension test in flat worms. 

FYI, I did not start out to develop a business with this, but after researching it, I found I can offer a service.

Currently I am looking into alternative AGE breakers to Alteon's alagebrium (ALT-711).  I think these will be critical to preventing congestive heart failure even if one supplements with resveratrol.  But this will be a separate post.

Nice post and welcome Maxwatt! Have you looked into AOR's Age Amadori as an effective AGE breaker? I believe AOR also has a new resveratrol product on the way in the new year which may indeed be promising considering their high reputation.
They also have a new product benagene which is supposedly the first calorie restriction mimetic pill.

What do you think of Biotest's Rez-V resveratrol product? http://www.biotest.n...ydra?id=1158493

[maxwatt]

Ageless-- To answer your questions:

The Biotest Res-V looks to be targetted to body builders with a lot of well-written hype. I cannot tell from the picture of the label what the source of resveratrl is. No idea as to emodin content. It is probably similar to other 50% resveratrol products out there. I do not think their claim it is best to take all 300 or so mg of reaveratrol once a day rather than in divided doses, to overwhelm the body's mechanism for metabolizing, is necessarily correct. It is possible that these metabolic breakdown products are what is affecting your cells, and activating the sirt1 gene. Sinclair's mice took resveratrol mixed with food, throughout the day, and their metabolic processeses are similar to humans.

AOR's Age Amadori is a glycation inhibitor containing carnosine and benfotiam (spelling? it's late for me) which inhibit glycation but do not reverse it by breaking AGEs. This can be very useful, but I cannot comment on the relative potency or cost effectiveness without researching it more than I have time for at the moment. It should contain pyridoxamine, another potent glycation inhibitor, but the FDA has classified pyridoxamine as an investigational drug (which is BS) so you cannot sell a supplement that contains it. Unfortunate. You can still get pyridoxamine for research purposes, if you know where to look.

Benagene I know nothing about yet.

[troyc]

Hi Maxwatt, have you checked Interpharma's resveratrol products? They have three related products listed on the website http://www.interphar...ter_nutra.shtml.

They have both a 96% product and a 50% product. Both of them explicitly spell out the emodin level.
Looks like their 50% resveratrol is not high in emodin (20-60mg/g). Their 96% resveratrol claims to have a 3-year shelf life.

http://www.interphar...ratrol_hp.shtml
http://www.interphar...troloside.shtml

There are grape skin extracts containing resveratrol, but these are a more expensive source and I have not seen them used alone.  Usually the amount of actual resveratrol is not specified,.

Polygonum cuspidatum, a.k.a. Mexican Bamboo or Japanese Knotweed, is the most concentrated source of resveratrol known.  The roots contain on average 1.35% resveratrol.  True to its name, Knotweed grows like a weed and is considered a noxious plant, where naturalized in North America.  I've seen stands of it growing by the road in New Jersey as I've passed through.

Resveratrol is extracted from the ground-up root, leaves and stalk with either methanol (which may leave some residue in the finished product) or with ethanol, flash heated with microwave radiation for 8 to 13 seconds, and purified by HPLC.  This is a continuous process on an industrial scale, producing kilograms at a time.  The initial pass results in a solution of 8% to 20% resveratrol.  Repeated processing results in ever higher concentrations of resveratrol.  Commercial bulk powders used in supplements contain between 20 and 50% resveratrol, the remainder of the product being miscellaneous polyphenols.  One problem with these bulk powders is the emodin content.  Emodin unfortunately is a powerful enough laxative to be undesireable in the relative high dosages we would want to take to emulate Sinclair's rats (350 to 500 mg/day.)  There are low-emodin resveratrol products available at a 50% concentration of resveratrol, but  they are more costly and require custom processing.  Typically a 50% resveratrol bulk powder contains 10 to 20% emodin.  No resveratrol product I've seen from P. cuspidatum claims to be low emodin.  If it is not mentioned on the label, there is probably lots of emodin in the product. 

Extracts of >98% resveratrol are obtained by repeated passes through the HPLC apparatus. One from China I have had tested contained 98.35% trans-resveratrol, 0.35% trans--resveratrol glucoside, and 0.15% cis-resveratrol.  The rest was mostly moisture and ash, with insignificant heavy metal and bacterial plate count.  The manufacturer states it is stable for >2 years at room temperature, if kept sealed and not exposed to light.  No nitrogen needed.  However, do not expect to see capsules made from this available any time soon.  The FDA classes resveratrol as an experimental drug, and commercial supplement containing it would probably be considered to be adulterated under 21 U.S.C. 342(f)(l)(B). 

98% resveratrol can be legally imported, if declared as an experimental drug.  I am  getting some of the Indian product used by Sinclair via Paul Wakfur's offer (Orchid is the manufacturer and supplier, not BioFlu guy).  My eight year old dog could use some as an experiment, I suppose.  So could I.

[curious_sle]

For whatever it's worth. Country Life (yeah, dunno) has since mid december a 50% Resveratrol standartized Knotweed Extract that is mixed with grape seed extract and pine bark extract so as to replicate the studie that fond resvreatrol stable that way. It's ok in price and best of all available :-). And it's 100mg caps.

I'd like to hedge my bets with nature's way (due to other red wine polyphenols etc) but it simply sold out. Well, guess we need a little patience for the hype to subside.

[maxhealth]

Several of the preceeding posts imply that a low-emodin product is preferable. Notwithstanding emodin's well known cathartic effect, given the research on emodin's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, apoptosis inducing properties vis-a-vis several human cancer cell lines and its NER facilitation one might think again about eliminating emodin. My question is, to what extent is emodin responsible for the results obtained in some resveratrol studies. Polygonum is by far the most common source of the resveratrol used in these human and other mammal cell line studies going back to 1994. I am willing to accommodate its laxative effect as a reasonable trade off for its potential benefits. Have a look at the below abstracts:

1. Non-small cell lung anti-cancer activity
http://www.ncbi.nlm....4&dopt=Citation
2. Anti-breast cancer activity
http://www.nature.co...s/1201813a.html
and
http://intl-clincanc...bstract/5/2/343
3. Induction of apoptosis in human promyeloleukemic HL-60 cells
http://www.ncbi.nlm....0&dopt=Citation
4. Nucleotide excision repair, a very interesting study re. DNA repair mechanism enhancement via emodin exposure.
http://www.ncbi.nlm....8&dopt=Citation
This is a short but, I believe, respresentative list of studies on emodin.

[troyc]

My question is, to what extent is emodin responsible for the results obtained in some resveratrol studies.

I'd say probably none for Sinclair's study. Sinclair's study used 98% pure resveratrol from Orchid, which should contain at most negligible trace amount of emodin.

[maxwatt]

[quote]Hi Maxwatt, have you checked Interpharma's resveratrol products? They have three related products listed on the website http://www.interphar...ter_nutra.shtml.

They have both a 96% product and a 50% product. Both of them explicitly spell out the emodin level.
Looks like their 50% resveratrol is not high in emodin (20-60mg/g). Their 96% resveratrol claims to have a 3-year shelf life....
.... END QUOTE]

The high-resveratrol products look like other nearly pure resveratrol extracts from P. cuspidatum. One's use of them would depend on cost compared to similar products. If you want to compare costs with those of my Chinese friends, email me off-list.

The 50% product, even though low in emodin, still contains enough to cause diarhea if used in the doses we think would be needed to derive the benefits. I am taking enough codein (prescription pain medication) to cause quite the opposite effect, and found even 10 mg of emodin caused diarhea. (This was a welcome change but only at first.) While this cures constipation, I do not think one can market a product with this side-effect. In the 10mg to 40mg resveratrol doses people were taking before Sinclair's publicized study, there was not enough emodin to be a problem, but when people try taking 300 to 400 mg resveratrol doses with 20 to 100 mg of emodin included, they will notice. It could limit sales and give the resveratrol product a bad name.

High purity resveratrol products cannot currently be marketed in the US. They will arouse the FDA, who have classified resveratrol as an investigational drug (not experimental drug, as I mis-stated earlier.) Though high purity resveratrol would be best for individuals, supplement marketers don't really have the option of using it here.

I believe an extract of P. cuspidatum containing 50% resveratrol, but only 1 to 2 mg emodin per gram, would be acceptable. I know how this could be produced with existing methods, probably at low cost. To my knowlege, no one is selling such a product in bulk or otherwise.

FYI, curious-sle: Country Life resveratrol uses 200 mg of 50% resveratrol from P. cuspidatum. All of these extracts contain enough emodin to cause diarhea at 300 mg or more per day, even the low-emodin extracts.

Emodin might be quite beneficial in other ways, despite its cathartic effect. As a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, it has strong anti-cancer effects, among other things. Paul Wakfur has posted an account of the benefits, and of his experiences with emodin in rhubarb extract, in the forum at morelife.org, if you want to know more about emodin.