On May 5th, 2010 GlaxoSmithKline, makers of a pharmaceutical drug called SRT501 (which is based on resveratrol) announced they were halting their study on cancer patients due to possible kidney problems. The media, who is always quick to build something up and then smash it down (much like a 4 year old playing with blocks), jumped all over the story…
Is the Bloom Off the Resveratrol Rose?
That is the headline from the Wall Street Journal Health Blog Post on 5/5/2010. Nobody loves a good headline more than us – but come on – resveratrol comes from grapes, not roses, it doesn’t bloom… let’s not mix metaphors. Grapes are crushed into wine – go with something clever like “Resveratrol Benefits CRUSHED by New Study?” Sorry, back to the facts…
What Exactly is SRT501?
SRT501 is a proprietary drug being developed and tested by GlaxoSmithKline. SRT501 is based on the reseveratrol antioxidant that is found in red grapes – but SRT501 is NOT the same thing as natural resveratrol. SRT501 is a proprietary chemical developed in the lab by a pharmaceutical company.
When Exactly Will We Stop Trying to Improve on Mother Nature?
Red grapes, muscadine grapes, red wine – these are all natural things that have been shown in study after study to have strong health benefits. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring substance that is found in grapes and red wine, but it is just one of hundreds of healthy nutrients found in grapes. Most of us understand that if we eat and drink natural things that are filled with the healthy polyphenols found in grapes – we will feel better. Why reinvent the wheel? Why try to one-up Mother Nature? Why take something natural and turn it into a chemical drug?
So is SRT501 Dangerous?
Who knows? The kidney issues that were showing up in the study are not an uncommon problem among people with multiple myeloma, the disease that the study subjects had. It may turn out that SRT501 had nothing to do with the kidney issues. It may turn out that SRT501 did cause the problems. In either case, the study really does not talk to the health benefits or risks of eating NATURAL resveratrol rich foods or supplements.
Want the Truth on Resveratrol – Just Read the Wall Street Journal
The WSJ and their bloggers have no problems telling you what they think about resveratrol. The only problem is depending on who is writing the story you will get a complete different spin on resveratrol.
The May 5th Wall Street Journal Health Blog Post – “Is The Bloom Off the Resveratrol Rose” gives a negative view on resveratrol. In addition to discussing the negative implications of the study they go on to say -
“This comes on the heels of a research controversy about whether resveratrol and other substances thought to activate SIRT1 actually do so. Here’s a New Scientist article on the topic.”
Clearly gives the impression that all the recent studies on resveratrol have been negative. However, less than 1 week earlier – the very same WSJ had this to say -
“Research from the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore found that there could be even more health benefits from drinking red wine. Antioxidant-rich red wine has already been touted to protect against cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol and obesity. Now resveratrol, an compound found in red wine, may reduce the risk of stroke. “Resveratrol can potentially build brain resistance to ischemic stroke,” the study said.”
Maybe if the WSJ Health Blogger read the WSJ On Wine Blog she would know that not all the recent research on Resveratrol has been negative.
Our Advice – K.I.N.S
We have all heard of K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Stupid) – well we have come up with a new one – K.I.N.S – Keep It Natural Stupid! When drug companies try to take natural foods and turn them into drugs, things always seem to go wrong. Let’s stop trying to perfect Mother Nature. Eat grapes, drink red wine and enjoy whole foods. Do supplements make sense? Sure, if they are all natural whole food supplements. Things like Perfect ResGrape work because they contain all the nutrients from muscadine grapes – they just take what Mother Nature has made and put it in a jar – they Keep It Natural Stupid.
On the other hand, supplements that try to modify and one-up ingredients that Mother Nature has given us should be avoided in our opinion. We really tend to over complicate things, if we all ate more natural and healthy food, we would all feel better.
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