Resveratrol and Toxicity
Resveratrol is a substance contained in plants that is released during an immune reaction and has been found to increase the lifespan of some invertebrates and a single lower vertebrate animal. The measures used to obtain these results involved giving massive doses of resveratrol to fish. The doses were so high that it killed some of the fish in the experimental group. Thusly there was a higher mortality rate earlier in the lifespan of the fish in the experimental group.
This is not a factor to be overlooked. The concept of a miracle drug has been floated since man came into being, but there are flaws with every system. In large doses, resveratrol is toxic. So anyone taking supplements should be careful. Reading the literature it makes it plain that to get the best benefits, you must take large doses. Any literature that doesn’t say this isn’t taking the research into account.
The problem encountered in attempting to replicate the laboratory research is that there are no significant benchmarks for humans to follow while taking resveratrol. The human body responds to every chemical differently, and every person’s body is different. A dose does not assume the body is a stagnant environment. The kidneys and liver are always working to remove poisons and toxins. They drop the level of any supplement’s metabolites you take in just a few hours.
This is why any drug is removed over time from your system. The manufacturers of supplements give suggested amounts based on toxicity guidelines (which are very well understood) but from an efficacy standpoint, there is no standard benchmark. Here I’d suggest taking well below the manufacturer’s guidelines, but don’t let toxicity warnings scare you away. Vitamin B and A can be toxic if you take too much. In fact, Vitamin A can be downright lethal if you overdose. It has a tendency to wipe out your liver with a “one-two” punch. Our final advice is to be safe and read and obey all warnings on packaging when taking supplements.
