LONGECITY

If you guys haven't thought about Resveratrol for awhile, check out the Longevinex website:

http://www.longevinex.com/

They must have revamped the site recently, because it has a ton of information I don't recall in the past. The arguments they put forth for their brand vs. other resveratrol supplements are very compelling in my opinion. What do you guys think?

It seems a little pricey, but considering it contains 40mg of trans-resveratrol, its probably not a bad value. Especially if it really activates Sir1 as well as they claim... calorie restriction in a pill is sexy

Is this the best form of resveratrol?

Trans-resveratrol is the desirable form of resveratrol. Cis-resveratrol doesn't activate the Sir1 gene apparently.

AOR makes a resveratrol product that retails for $20 and contains 60 capsules with 5mg of trans-resveratrol each. Even disregarding Longevinex's argument that all other brands degrade into cis-resveratrol, if you tried to get 40mg of resveratrol a day with the AOR product, it would cost you $80 a month. That does make Longevinex look like a good deal at $40 for a month supply.

There were a few comments regarding Longevinex in LifeMirage's Regimen thread. It was on one of the last couple of pages, I believe.

I've been taking this for over a year -- in fact, one pill in the morning, one at night. A few of the other pills I take also have some resveratrol, but minimum amounts and I doubt the viability is high, since these other pills are not encapsulated in an O2-free environment.

Saw this today...
http://www.scienceda...60206232855.htm

It seems a little pricey, but considering it contains 40mg of trans-resveratrol, its probably not a bad value.

Please show me where they claim 40 mg of trans-resveratrol on their site.

I agree that its shady how they don't put the trans-resveratrol content on the label. Looking back through the site, references to the actual trans-resveratrol content of Longevinex are conspicuously few. However, if you click on "The Longevinex Difference" in the left column on the front page, you'll find this caption underneath a picture of Longevinex:

"Also, Longevinex™ Licaps® (Capsugel®) airtight opaque capsule, 40 mg trans resveratrol, encapsulated under nitrogen without light exposure; sealed in foil pack."

For what it's worth -- here was LEF's unofficial response about a year ago...it's from their forum.

"The supplier of Life Extension's resveratrol provided the following reply:

A competitor claims that all resveratrol products on the market but the one it sells are "unstable" and without "biological activity".  This company claims that resveratrol has to be produced in an oxygen-free environment in order to be stable; otherwise it will break down and become worthless.  The definition of "biological activity" according to this company is the ability to extend the life of yeast cells as exemplified by a commercial kit known as the "Fluor de Lys".  In this assay kit, something is considered "bioactive" if it causes lysine 382 of a p53 gene to fluoresce.  The validity of this test was recently brought into question when it was learned that the results don't hold up in vivo (Kaeberlein, et al.  JBC Papers in Press, 1/31/05). 

The usual definition of "biologically active" is something has an effect on a biological system, such as a cell, an organ or the like.  In that regard, Life Extension's I3C/resveratrol product was recently shown to have biological activity in human colorectal cancer cells where it activated a gene that causes cancer cells to die (Lee, et al.  Biochem Biophys Res Comm 328:63).  LE's resveratrol/I3C combination worked better than either I3C or DIM alone to activate this gene in human colorectal cancer cells.  We will be reporting on this study soon.

Life Extension would never steer you wrong.  Our resveratrol is the of the highest quality available.  It is made from organic French grapes and a plant known as Polygonum cuspidatum.  It is maintained in a natural matrix of complimentary polyphenols and related compounds that help it remain stable and absorbable in the body.  Quercetin, which naturally occurs alongside resveratrol, is added in a synergistic amount for stability and enhanced bioavailability.  As to the question of how long LE resveratrol "stays in the blood", we hope not long since we want to see it in tissues doing something.  In general, resveratrol doesn't stay in circulation very long; it's absorbed through mucous membranes and can be detected in the plasma of animals in as little as five minutes.  We will be able to report to you soon about which genes LE resveratrol affects.  In the meantime, know that LE resveratrol has undergone and passed an accelerated stability study where it maintained potency for up to two years.  It has been tested for potency and meets or exceeds the stated potency.   

Resveratrol in its natural matrix is reported to be very stable.  According to the USDA, peanuts stored for up to 3 years still contained resveratrol (Sanders, et al.  J Agric Food Chem 48:1243), and freeze-dried grape powder also contained resveratrol (Meng, et al.  J Agric Food Chem 52:935).  Last but not least, although light can have a negative effect on resveratrol, you don't have to worry that the resveratrol in your peanut butter will disappear if it's exposed to air: it won't (Ibern-Gomez, et al.  J Agric Food Chem 48:6352).  Despite the claims of a competitor, LE resveratrol is stable, of the highest quality, and biologically active--something you will soon be hearing more about in the near future." - Posted by the Moderator

Thanks for pulling that out Kevin, thats the kind of counterpoint I was looking for. I'm leaning toward taking LEF's grape seed extract w/ resveratrol right now, but I'm going to wait until the end of the discussion here to decide for sure.

Well, here's my stance... Resveratrol is so important, I take Longevinex (2 per day), and LEF's Grape Seed/Resveratrol, and LEF's I-C-3/Resveratrol, and New Chapter's Zyflamend (6mg resveratrol).

I still think Longevinex is the best of them all, as resveratrol is all they do, and you'd think that if all you make is one single supplement, that you'd do it right, and wouldn't lose focus by having to worry about 100 other supplements in your catalogue.

I agree that Longevinex looks "the best". They seem to have a pretty solid case. Also, the LEF product is only slightly cheaper (it's equal at non-member prices).

What I don't get is exactly how much better or worse they are compared to other high quality Resveratrol products.

I'd like to see some real head to head tests between vendors' products - Consumerlabs.com does some testing and that's great, but what I don't like is that their testing seems extremely limited and high level "one size fits all" (does it contain heavy metals and are the ingredients present as described).

Just reading through the Longevinex material. Which one of their ingredients causes the P450 enzyme inhibition? Probably the quercetin right? Is this the same enzyme that bioperine inhibits? Was any consensus ever reached as to whether this inhibition is safe or acceptable? Thanks.

I eat lots of grapes. I probably get as much reservatol as any of you plus lots of fiber and other goodies.

I eat lots of grapes. I probably get as much reservatol as any of you plus lots of fiber and other goodies.

Plus plenty of extra carbs/sugar.

Besides, you'd have to eat a ton of grapes to get 50+ mg of resveratrol daily.

A ton, really? I think you might be pulling our legs. Anyway, better to get it naturally than in a pill. Do you eat bread or pasta, shepard?

Yes, 2000 lbs. On the dot.

I'm all for getting certain compounds from actual food/beverages....but I'm of the opinion that be getting quite a bit of resveratrol (atleast 30-40mg daily) from food would negate the benefits of the compoud itself.

I eat everything, dude. I just make sure that I keep myself in check and only "cheat" once in a while. I don't allow my wish for extreme longevity to interfere with my enjoyment of life.

Grapes is a very unhealthy source of resveratrol--far too much sugar for too little resveratrol per grape. Wine (a.k.a. grape extract) is better, but more and more research is showing that alcohol needs to be avoided, if health is a concern.

In some cases, like this one, the whole foods attainment of the food's key benefit is likely not the best. Likewise, eating tomatoes is a poor way to get lycopene. Eating fish can be a dangerous way to get enough EPA/DHA. And I'm sure I can think of more given time.

why is resveratrol so important? someone give me a quick rundown please?

I found something really interesting that is worthy of mention-

Good news: non-alcoholic red wine contains just as much resveratrol as regular wine

So does that make non-alcoholic red wine a great idea for dietary resveratrol intake?

Bad news: the red wines used in the study below contained 4mg of resveratrol per liter.

That means you'd have to drink insane amounts of non-alcoholic wine to match the resveratrol content of some of these supplements (although, perhaps not much of the supplementary resveratrol is trans-resveratrol).

On the other hand, its encouraging that all the health benefits exhibited by the french with red wine consumption are produced by such meager amounts of resveratrol.

For the study, which was published in the April 20 issue of Heart Disease Weekly, 40 healthy male rabbits were divided into five equal groups. One group was given water and allowed to continue with their standard diet. The other four groups ate meals that contained nearly 2 percent cholesterol -- considerably high for herbivores, according to the researchers.

One of the high-cholesterol groups was given only water to drink every day. Another group drank water mixed with 3 milligrams of resveratrol for every kilogram the rabbit weighed. The remaining two groups received 4 milliliters of red wine per kilogram of weight per day; one group drank nonalcoholic wine, the other had wine with 12 percent alcohol. (The wines contained close to 4 milligrams of resveratrol per liter.)

Every day, the scientists measured the ability of arteries in the rabbits' ears and legs to dilate, as well as the rabbits' capacity to maintain proper levels of nitric oxide in the bloodstream. Both factors help "relax the vessels and make the blood flow easier," said study spokesman Joseph Wu, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, who has collaborated with the Nanjing Medical University researchers. Having too much nitric oxide in the blood may also cause oxidative damage to the body, according to Wu. The researchers also measured the rabbits' blood pressure and the endothelium cell levels in their blood vessels.

After 12 weeks, the scientists found that the rabbits on a high-cholesterol diet that drank only water showed an approximate 25 percent decrease compared to the control rabbits in their ability to regulate both arterial dilation and nitric oxide levels. On the other hand, rabbits that drank red wine, nonalcoholic wine or the resveratrol-water mix showed similar cardiovascular health as the rabbits on a regular diet.

"The significant [cardiovascular] dysfunctions observed in high-cholesterol diet groups were effectively mitigated by oral administration of resveratrol, red wine and de-alcoholized red wine," the authors wrote.

Edited by funkodyssey, 09 February 2006 - 02:35 PM.

LEF has a good summary of the benefits of resveratrol here:

Resveratrol

Its a pretty huge supplement. It prevents heart disease several different ways, prevents cancer through 12 different mechanisms of action, activates Sir1 which is a longevity gene activated by Calorie Restriction (potentially conferring many of the same benefits of CR), and extends the lifespan of every species they've tested it on thus far (yeast, flies, worms, and small fish) by ALOT (like 70%).

I've said over and over that resveratrol is easily one of the best beneficial, important supplements a person can take. It's practically a miracle molecule, and everyone should take it. Whenever I get people/friends on a supplement program, resveratrol is always in the mix, and I consider it a top 5 supplement -- it should be part of everyone's foundation.

I sent an e-mail this afternoon to info@longevinex.com, lets see what they have to say. If they fail to reply, that will be very telling in itself.

I have a problem with this statement from your website:

Question? Why isn’t Longevinex labeled for resveratrol content?
Answer: ....resveratrol has been declared a “new drug” and a number of dietary supplement companies that have attempted to market their products using the word “resveratrol” have received objection letters from the FDA. Therefore, Longevinex™ must be marketed as a “red wine extract” and cannot be labeled for resveratrol content. In time the FDA may change their position on this.

This statement is false.  Life Extension Foundation, Advanced Orthomolecular Research, Jarrow Formulas, and Source Naturals all label products with resveratrol content, to name just a few.  I notice that you contradict this claim yourselves -- on "The Longevinex Difference" page of your website, you state that a Longevinex capsule contains 40mg of trans-resveratrol in a caption underneath a picture of Longevinex capsules.

For the record, how much trans-resveratrol is actually contained in a capsule of Longevinex?

Life Extension Foundation has stated the following in regard to the stability of trans-resveratrol and the validity of your "biological activity" testing:

A competitor claims that all resveratrol products on the market but the one it sells are "unstable" and without "biological activity".  This company claims that resveratrol has to be produced in an oxygen-free environment in order to be stable; otherwise it will break down and become worthless.  The definition of "biological activity" according to this company is the ability to extend the life of yeast cells as exemplified by a commercial kit known as the "Fluor de Lys".  In this assay kit, something is considered "bioactive" if it causes lysine 382 of a p53 gene to fluoresce.  The validity of this test was recently brought into question when it was learned that the results don't hold up in vivo (Kaeberlein, et al.  JBC Papers in Press, 1/31/05). 

The usual definition of "biologically active" is something has an effect on a biological system, such as a cell, an organ or the like.  In that regard, Life Extension's I3C/resveratrol product was recently shown to have biological activity in human colorectal cancer cells where it activated a gene that causes cancer cells to die (Lee, et al.  Biochem Biophys Res Comm 328:63).  LE's resveratrol/I3C combination worked better than either I3C or DIM alone to activate this gene in human colorectal cancer cells.  We will be reporting on this study soon.

Life Extension would never steer you wrong.  Our resveratrol is the of the highest quality available.  It is made from organic French grapes and a plant known as Polygonum cuspidatum.  It is maintained in a natural matrix of complimentary polyphenols and related compounds that help it remain stable and absorbable in the body.  Quercetin, which naturally occurs alongside resveratrol, is added in a synergistic amount for stability and enhanced bioavailability.  As to the question of how long LE resveratrol "stays in the blood", we hope not long since we want to see it in tissues doing something.  In general, resveratrol doesn't stay in circulation very long; it's absorbed through mucous membranes and can be detected in the plasma of animals in as little as five minutes.  We will be able to report to you soon about which genes LE resveratrol affects.  In the meantime, know that LE resveratrol has undergone and passed an accelerated stability study where it maintained potency for up to two years.  It has been tested for potency and meets or exceeds the stated potency.   

Resveratrol in its natural matrix is reported to be very stable.  According to the USDA, peanuts stored for up to 3 years still contained resveratrol (Sanders, et al.  J Agric Food Chem 48:1243), and freeze-dried grape powder also contained resveratrol (Meng, et al.  J Agric Food Chem 52:935).  Last but not least, although light can have a negative effect on resveratrol, you don't have to worry that the resveratrol in your peanut butter will disappear if it's exposed to air: it won't (Ibern-Gomez, et al.  J Agric Food Chem 48:6352).  Despite the claims of a competitor, LE resveratrol is stable, of the highest quality, and biologically active--something you will soon be hearing more about in the near future." - Posted by the Moderator

I am interested in your response to the above statement as well as some clarification on the labeling issue and resveratrol content of your product.  Members of a popular life extension forum share my concerns about Longevinex; I am posting this letter there as well and will forward your response for their review.

cant wait to see their reply to that...


do you guys think it would be a problelm re-capping LEF resveratrol? they have it in gelatin caps, and i want to put it in veggie caps...

think this would cause any sort of degredation?
Edited by ajnast4r, 09 February 2006 - 11:15 PM.

activates Sir1 which is a longevity gene activated by Calorie Restriction (potentially conferring many of the same benefits of CR), and extends the lifespan of every species they've tested it on thus far (yeast, flies, worms, and small fish) by ALOT (like 70%).

ehhh, nope.. Sir-activation by resveratrol has been shown by two studies to been an artifact of the applied measurement methodology and consequently, life span extensions were NOT observed in three yeast strains. It appears that the Sinclair group, of whom most of the LS results have come from (and who have STRONG financial stake on resveratrol), have been using short lived strains at least on their yeast studies, I am not sure about the other experiments.

http://www.fightagin...ives/000418.php
(see comment)

http://www.imminst.o...t=0
Edited by opales, 10 February 2006 - 08:56 AM.

If beneficial effects have been seen in people eating diets high in resveratrol containing foods such as grapes, red wine and so forth, why is it neccessary to take such large amounts? Is it because the study was done with large amounts? If mediteranean people have better health from taking what must be small amounts, I'll bet you that you don't need 40 to 50mg per day. You probably only need 1 to 4mg or some amount like that. Maybe even less than 1mg per day.

I do think I'll get some but I'm not going to give up my grapes. The people who tell me to give up grapes because it has carbs in it eat bread, pasta and so forth. A slice of bread has more carbs than a handful of grapes and the bread is mostly empty calories unlike the grapes. How much resveratrol is found in bread?

im gonna have to agree with xanadu on this one... if they say the benefits are seen in people by simple red wine consumption, which maybe contains 1 or 2 mg... why would 40, 80, 100+ mg be needed?

activates Sir1 which is a longevity gene activated by Calorie Restriction (potentially conferring many of the same benefits of CR),

And besides, the six-fold LS extension in c elegans reported few months back was a result of KNOCKING OUT Sir2, which is the human equivalent of Sir1. Seems that the sirtuins rather activate to INHIBIT the potential positive effects of CR.

http://www.imminst.o...8540&hl=sir2&s=

Thanks for raining on my parade opales! [tung] I'm glad you provided the link to that old imminst thread on resveratrol - there's some really good information there. This might explain why LEF pushed resveratrol hard for awhile and then let it fade into the background and combined it as a secondary ingredient to other supplements. I remember they had some initial enthusiasm about its potential to extend maximum lifespan that they haven't continued to express.

Thanks for raining on my parade opales! [tung]  I'm glad you provided the link to that old imminst thread on resveratrol - there's some really good information there.  This might explain why LEF pushed resveratrol hard for awhile and then let it fade into the background and combined it as a secondary ingredient to other supplements.  I remember they had some initial enthusiasm about its potential to extend maximum lifespan that they haven't continued to express.

Still, I am not saying that there is nothing to resveratrol. Sirtuins are not the only pathway it has been purported to activate. Also, the new fish study looked promising as it was a) a verteberate b) not genetically modified to live less than usual (as everything from A to Z has been found to extend life with such creatures). It was also to my understanding done by as indepependent group as I have become wary of the results by the Sinclair folks lately.

All and all, for the time being I'm sticking to my 1.8 mg/day of Chirally Pure Trans-resveratrol from Ortho-Core and few glasses of red wine a week.
Edited by opales, 10 February 2006 - 02:35 PM.

No reply from Longevinex yet.