LONGECITY

Just got this in my email from Longevinex. Take it for what you will:

Bulletin to consumers of Longevinex...
Independent laboratory tests, conducted at the Plant Bioactives Research Institute in Utah, confirm that the resveratrol molecule has been preserved in Longevinex, and another independent lab test conducted at Biomol indicates Longevinex capsules exhibit biological activity. This was enough for TIME Magazine to herald the introduction of Longevinex as the world's first stabilized red wine molecules in an airtight pill. Here is the text of the TIME report.

RECENT VINTAGE, NO BOQUET

Why would anyone looking for the health benefits of red wine choose a little pill over a nice glass of Pinot Noir? Well, calorie counters or teetotalers might. At least that's what the makers of a bumper crop of new red-wine pills are banking on. The latest entry in the burgeoning wine-supplement market is Longevinex, which boasts that its pills are the only ones that both come in airtight capsules and -- mon Dieu! -- are made of real red-wine extract from France. Packed into each Longevinex capsules is an active ingredient roughly equivalent to between 5 and 15 glasses of red wine or unfermented grape juice.* The key compound is an antioxidant called resveratrol, which has been shwon to play a role in longevity -- at least for one-celled organisms. Perhaps time and further research will tell whether the benefits of wine, if not the pleasure and bouquet, an be packed into a pill for people. Meanwhile, which pill will pair best with foie gras? --Time Magazine, Feb. 16, 2004, p. 99.

* Time Magazine erred here and mistakenly printed that resveratrol can be obtained from grape juice. Resveratrol is destroyed during pasteurization of grape juice.

The asterisked comment is from the email.

Hugh

Here is the source at Time.

Hugh

Interesting Hugh. Think I'll stick to the red stuff though. Good for me AND makes me feel good.

Dave

Put it in mice, enter into the Methuselah Mouse prize. If they can't do that and demonstrate healthy life span extension, they should pack up and go home.

Reason
Founder, Longevity Meme
reason@longevitymeme.org
http://www.longevitymeme.org

Put it in mice, enter into the Methuselah Mouse prize. If they can't do that and demonstrate healthy life span extension, they should pack up and go home.

Good idea. Has anyone challenged them directly to do so?

Duane

I had a few words with Bill Sardi, http://www.askbillsardi.com/sdm.asp , who I believe is the primary motivator behind Longevinex. I suggested that he look at conducting lifespan studies in mice and was told that the need for lifespan studies is not great as the benefits of taking the pill are being shown in a group of people currently on CR.

Apparently there's a group of individuals who are being monitored and the results show the pill to be as effective, if not more so, than caloric restriction in reducing blood pressure among other things.

This conversation and anecdotal information is simply that, and I remain skeptical as to its ability to extend life until hard lifespan studies are done. Additionally, there's a lot of work to be done before even the health improvement claims can be made with the backing of scientific evidence. Given the actual real possibilty that resveratrol can exert some benefits on the human body, I hope its proponents see the wisdom in investing in these studies. It would be nice to have some supplement companies breaking from the tradition of poorly supported claims.

I sent a letter to Bill Sardi and issued an invitation to compete. I did not receive the favor of a reply.

We'll give it another try later. I'm sure in time he'll want to avail himself of this great opportunity to show their unmitigated confidence in their product's life extension implications.

Perhaps they would provide their supplement and we could set up a "Methuselah in the Classroom" mouse colony?

Duane

I have recently done some research on wine. I recall an abstract showing isolated resveratrol stayed stable for about four days.

Resveratrol decreases leukemia cell apoptosis, however does the exact opposite in many cancerous cells including prostatic. The CIS-isomer extract of resveratrol seemed to have the exact opposite on leukocytes. I expect an extraction of this isomer to get popular if it is economically viable.