Can Resveratrol Make You Smarter?

LONDON, May 11, 2010 - The subject of extensive studies across the world, Resveratrol is proving
to be a major talking point in the scientific community. And as evidence
comes to light of the continuing beneficial effects of this compound, a
further study by the University of Northumbria in the UK has confirmed what
many scientists already believe to be the case - that Resveratrol could have
a significant impact on the cognitive processes of the human brain.

The double-blind, peer-reviewed study was recently published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and concludes that a relatively small
dose of the compound can modulate cerebral blood flow variables and actually
increase blood flow during task performance. In the study, 22 healthy adults
received either a placebo or two doses (measured at 250mg and 500mg) of
trans-Resveratrol in counterbalanced order on separate days. After a
45-minute resting absorption period, they then carried out a selection of
cognitive tasks designed to activate the frontal cortex of the brain for 36
minutes. The levels of cerebral blood flow and hemodynamics were measured and
indexed, calculating the concentration changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated
haemoglobin present in the frontal cortex throughout the post-treatment
period through the use of near-infrared spectroscopy.

Unexpected results

The results were remarkable. The study showed that subjects taking the
trans-Resveratrol supplement demonstrated an increase in cerebral blood flow
during the task performances. The increase in deoxyhaemoglobin after both
doses suggested that there was substantially enhanced oxygen extraction
throughout the process. While cognitive function was not affected, the
results do open the doors for further investigation as to the longer term
effects of continued use of Resveratrol and its direct affect on the blood
flow to the frontal cortex of the brain - the area most used for task
performance, hand/eye co-ordination and cognitive processing.

The study concluded that Resveratrolàs vasodilation effect seems to be
activated by the demands of the brain for increased blood flow during
cognitive tasks, suggesting that the effects can be 'turned on and off' as
and when needed when the brain is called upon to perform more demanding
tasks. The supplement's ability to activate sirtuins was discovered by Dr
David Sinclair at Harvard three years ago. Since then, Resveratrol has been
the subject of repeated studies by institutes all over the world. "The
research into Resveratrol's influence on the blood flow to the frontal cortex
of the brain is particularly interesting," comments James Betz of Biotivia,
one of the world's leading suppliers of Resveratrol supplements. "But what is
really grabbing attention is how the supplement appears to be able to respond
to increased demand from the brain within a relatively short space of time
from ingestion, and how rapidly the increase in blood flow seems to happen as
a response. Although more study needs to be undertaken, it does seem that a
supplement such as Resveratrol could have a direct influence on one of the
key areas of brain performance," he adds.

The University of Northumbria study has opened up the possibility that
supplements such as Resveratrol could possibly be used to increase cognitive
function through an acceleration of the blood flow to the brain, although
more research needs to be done to confirm if this is the case. "Resveratrol
has primarily been studied for its anti-aging properties, but this new avenue
of exploration is reminding us that we still know very little about just what
this remarkable compound is capable of," James adds. "We do know that it has
no known toxic effects on the human body, and if it is shown to improve
cognitive function, then the possibilities for its use in medical treatment
for diseases such as dementia could be considerable. In the meantime, its
demonstrated ability to modulate various signalling pathways and metabolic
processes with positive health and disease preventative effects makes this an
extraordinary compound apart from any potential neuroprotective or
thearaputic properties.

The Northumbria Study:
www.biotivia.com/company/news/Bioforte-Increased-Cerebral-Blood-flow-in-New-Human-Clinical-Trial.html

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About Biotivia - www.biotivia.com

Biotivia established 1992 in Vienna and currently has US offices in New
York, Los Angeles, Kansas City and international offices in the UK, Spain,
Austria, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, Xi'an China and
Mumbai India.

Biotivia pioneered the science of natural health supplement
(www.biotivia.com/) design and development based upon evidence of
efficacy and safety drawn from the company's own studies and trials and in
collaboration with world renowned research organizations.

Biotivia presently supplies researchers, physicians and scientists
employed at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Georgetown, The Albert Einstein Medical
Center, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the University of
California, and many others.

Biotivia is the first supplement manufacturer in the world to apply
advanced "Active Packaging" technologies to its products to insure the
highest level of freshness and potency even after the container is opened.

It is also the first company to dramatically improve the bioavailability
of its products, especially its resveratrol (
www.biotivia.com/resveratrol.html) and polyphenol-based products. Low
bioavailability of many antioxidants (
www.biotivia.co.uk/anti-oxidants.html) is a common problem, which the
company's scientists have succeeded in overcoming without resorting to
synthetic additives or lowering the product dosage.

Nigel Copley - ncopley at clickthrough-marketing.com - +44(0)845-057-3349