The latest and greatest longevity pill

Recently, I have been reporting on longevity factors -- those lifestyle changes that have been proven to extend our life span. They all require effort, which most of us in our modern determined health-conscious ways are willing to do. (Really, how hard is it to remember to have a daily bowel movement and wear sunscreen, even when it is cloudy?)

These efforts, some more difficult than others, still leave many of us pining for the assurance of everlasting vitality once popularly made by the elixir Geritol.

I remember watching those ads on our black and white television and thinking that when I became "old" -- like 40 -- there was help to be had. But alas, Geritrol, which promised to enrich "iron-poor tired blood," is based on a theory that has been widely discredited.

There may be some hope on the horizon for Geritol nostalgics. It is called resveratrol, which has been getting lots of press lately. The always-reliable researchers at the National Institute on Aging and Harvard Medical School broke this story last month in Nature, and the Internet has been abuzz about it ever since.

What they discovered was this substance kept a bunch of middle-aged mice, who were allowed to gorge on a high-fat diet, exempt from diabetes and fatty livers. This was compared to a similar group of mice, who were given the same diet but not the resveratrol.

The resveratrol-deprived mice became prediabetic with enlarged livers. Especially interesting is that the resveratrol-imbibing mice lived significantly longer (in mice years) than those other fatsos. In fact, the resveratrol-pumped-up mice gained more stamina as they aged.

So how do you score some of this amazing age-defying potion?

It is found in the skin of grapes and, conveniently for those who are full of holiday cheer -- in red wine.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol, the good antioxidant stuff abundant in wine that has elevated it to a health drink. Antioxidants, you may recall, reduce the damage to our cells from those age-accelerating free radicals. That makes it the natural enemy of heart disease, cancer and even Alzheimer's.

The trouble is, you would have to drink 1,000 liters of wine per day to attain beneficial levels of resveratrol. Even I am not up for that one.

You can score some resveratrol in pill form already. Lazy Acres sells a couple formulations that are reportedly flying off the shelves. The supplement I bought there claims to have 366 milligrams of resveratrol from grape seed, grape skin and green tea extracts as well as something called Tiger Cane.

Consumer Labs is always a good source to go to when you need unbiased information about supplements. Here is what they had to say about resveratrol:

"The promotion of resveratrol far exceeds its base of clinical research. In fact, no human studies evaluating the potential benefits or risks of resveratrol supplements have been reported. However, animal research of resveratrol has demonstrated anti-aging and athletic endurance-enhancing activities. Test tube experiments with resveratrol have demonstrated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-platelet, cholesterol-lowering and mild estrogenic activities"

Those of you who are ready to jump on the longevity train will no doubt start popping these pills. But if you are the cautious sort, you may want to heed Consumer Lab's recommendation to "stay tuned."

Dr. Michael O.L. Seabaugh is a Cape Girardeau native who is a licensed clinical psychologist in Santa Barbara and Santa Monica, Calif. Contact him at mseabaugh@semissourian.com.