Resveratrol and Mental Health

Another installment of ReserveAge Organics series on Resveratrol and its potential benefits. Today we will discuss mental health and brain aging.

One of the assumed facts of life is that as we grow older, our minds go. Typical issues can include trouble with memory, slower problem solving and mental tasks becoming increasingly difficult. While unpleasant, this is perfectly normal. Like every other part of our bodies, the cells and tissues of our brain become less effective in our old age. Cells are not repaired or replaced as they were when we were younger and with time it makes our brains function at a less than optimal level.

At the same time a more insidious threat lies in front of some of us, Alzheimer’s. The exact cause of Alzheimer’s is unclear, all we can see is the effects it has on the brain. Alzheimer’s causes plaques to form on the tissues in the brain. These plaques interfere with nerves making them work inefficiently and potentially destroying them outright. As more nerves die; thinking, emotions and personality start to be impaired.

Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease that robs its victims of their intellect, personality and eventually their lives. In what may be even worse, Alzheimer’s is known for having a terrible psychological impact on the loved ones who care for its victims.

Alzheimer’s typically does not affect those under the age of 65 and can take years and even decades to kill its victims. The early stages of the disorder are characterized by memory issues which can be easily mistaken for normal age-related mental impairment. The next stages involve dramatic decreases in mental abilities, at which point most people become aware that something is wrong. This can take the form of accelerated memory loss, uncontrolled emotions and erratic behavior. In the final stages the brain shuts down completely from the damage. Most people are not killed by Alzheimer’s but die from other illnesses due to their weakened bodies.

Our memories and minds are not necessarily lost to us. Early research, including human tests, has suggested that Resveratrol may prevent loss of cognitive abilities. To be clear, none of these studies have found that it increases intellect, only that it may delay or stop loss of intellect and memory from aging and some other causes.

In testing of mice, two effects have been noted. In testing of older mice on a diet consisting of Resveratrol, the mice were found to perform better at memory tasks. The brains of the mice were reviewed postmortem and it was found that the mice with a Resveratrol diet had more brain tissue than mice not on a Resveratrol diet. The mice not on a Resveratrol diet showed more age-related damage as well. A special mouse strain that has the characteristics of Alzheimer’s was tested on a Resveratrol diet and found to have a significant decrease in the number of plaques in their brains and showed improved memory function over the mice not on a Resveratrol diet.

Human studies have also been promising. In one study people were given tests and then sent home with either Resveratrol or a placebo. They came back later and were asked to take a similar test, those who had been using Resveratrol performed better than those not using it.

I feel that the most significant outcome of the studies of Resveratrol and Alzheimer’s are demonstrating the ability of Resveratrol to have some preventive benefits for those taking the supplement. I think there is some evidence that suggests Resveratrol may help those inflicted with Alzheimer’s fight the disease once it has started or at least reduce the symptoms of the disease by slowing the formation of plaques in the brain. With further research this means that some day despite a patient having the disease, the patient could live a much longer, healthier and mentally aware life as the effects of the disease are slowed or even stopped.

I want to note again that most of these effects suggest that Resveratrol’s benefits in the mind are largely preventative. While triggering the SIRT1 “Longevity Gene” may boost the cells energy, improve nerve function, I feel the most dramatic results are going to be seen in people who have taken Resveratrol for an extended period of time and it well be found that these individuals have had little loss of their cognitive abilities as they reach old age. Despite its other health benefits, this is one of the main reasons that I advocate starting Resveratrol early, to prevent age-related damage to the mind and body.