Anti-Aging Therapeutics Volume XIII. A4M American Academy
in vitro and animal studies but clinical evidence is lacking. Given the long time frame involved in conducting prospective trials for diseases in this category, it could be many years before answers are in. Funding such studies is an ongoing challenge, so the private sector is focusing on proprietary derivatives, which may have more targeted and potent actions.
Resveratrol is not a direct sirtuin activator and appears unlikely to produce lifespan extension as a caloric restriction mimetic. On an experimental basis resveratrol has been useful in developing sirtuin science, and uncovering metabolic pathways that could possibly be exploited to achieve that goal. It is possible and even likely that resveratrol could produce a secondary effect of lifespan extension via reduction in the incidence of diseases of aging, but again that remains to be proven. The marketing of resveratrol supplements based on lifespan extension documented only in sub-mammalian organisms is therefore a questionable practice. Resveratrol alone does not provide an explanation for the known health benefits of moderate regular wine consumption, in that resveratrol content in wine is too low to produce the in vitro effects that correspond to epidemiologic patterns.
Bioavailability remains problematic as well. Newer formulations may help to overcome current limitations on the uptake and metabolism of resveratrol, along with better understanding of membrane transport, intracellular/extracellular partitioning, and the actions of resveratrol metabolites. But given the many open questions that remain, and potential risks (particularly related to its phytoestrogen activity), a cautionary approach is prudent and the widespread use of resveratrol supplements is not justified at the present time.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Baxter, M.D., FACS, is a board-certified plastic surgeon who has been practicing in the Seattle (Washington, USA) area for 20 years. He is past president of the Washington Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the Northwest Society of Plastic Surgeons. He has pioneered several new techniques, and is recognized as an expert in plastic surgery and anti-aging, serving on the Emerging Trends Committee of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Chapter 4
Your DNA is Not Your Destiny: Behavioral Epigenetics and the Role of Emotions in Health
Dawson Church, Ph.D., CEHP
Research Chair, Foundation for Epigenetic Medicine (Santa Rosa, CA USA)
ABSTRACT
In a series of studies published in 2000 and later, researchers began to demonstrate the importance of epigenetic influences on gene expression. Genes might be silenced through methylation, or their expression facilitated by acetylization. A further step occurred when behaviors and psychological states were noted to regulate the activity of genes. A body of evidence has now been accumulated that assesses the specific genes affected by behavioral influences such as nurturing, by lifestyle interventions such as meditation, by emotions, and by alleviating psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Comparisons of the relative lengths of telomeres in identical twins, who start life with identical genes, show that emotional stress can result in one twin having a cellular