If you had to rank the most important factors for a healthy heart, hormones would likely show up last on your list. But the truth is that these chemical messengers have a strong influence on just about every single one of your body’s delicate systems… and your cardiovascular system is no exception.

You may not realize it, but your blood vessels are lined with estrogen receptors, which play a key role in regulating healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and normal clot formation in both men and women.1 This may be one reason why pre-menopausal women enjoy more optimal heart health statistics than their male and postmenopausal counterparts—and why heart health becomes an important focus for women as they grow older.

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There is a naturally occurring substance that has been receiving a whole lot of attention over the last several years. It’s a polyphenol antioxidant called resveratrol found in foods like peanuts, some berries, grapes and consequently, wine. In a new study researchers examined the effects of resveratrol on rats with colon cancer.

The rats were divided into four groups according to treatment?one that received a chemical to induce cancer (called 1,2-dimethylhydrazine, or DHM for short), one that received DHM and trans-resveratrol, one that received only trans-resveratrol, and finally, one that received no treatment to serve as a control.

Over the course of this 30-week study, researchers had two major goals: to evaluate the short-term effect that this powerful compound would have on DNA damage and to evaluate the long-term effect it would have on membrane lipid peroxidation (the process by which free radicals cause damage to cell membranes). In addition, the researchers measured the levels of circulating antioxidants.

The results? Rats supplemented with trans-resveratrol showed significantly less white blood cell damage than those that received DHM alone. What?s more, those that received trans-resveratrol for the full 30 weeks also showed a marked increase in several key antioxidant enzymes?including superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione reductase?along with other antioxidant factors like vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene. Finally, this group of rats also showed a noticeable decrease in markers of dangerous lipid peroxidation.1

In the end, the study authors? conclusion couldn?t be more clear?or promising, for that matter?stating ?results indicate that DMH-induced DNA damage and oxidative stress were suppressed/prevented effectively by chronic resveratrol supplementation.?

So does this study show that daily supplementation of resveratrol will keep you young? No. However, resveratrol has a whole lot of good things going for it backed by a lot of research and should be considered as part of ones daily regimen. Vitamin Research Products

Another benefit males might be most interested in has to do with estrogen. Resveratrol acts as a potent estrogen antagonist. This means it hinders the negative effects of estrogen.

In higher concentrations, it acts as an aromatase inhibitor. Resveratrol has been shown to hinder the transformation of testosterone to estrogen. As ones estrogen goes up the testosterone goes down. This means that it help to halt the body’s natural aging process of whittling away at your Testosterone.

Why is this good for men? Because if a substance hinders the transformation of testosterone to estrogen or estradiol, not only does it prevent the malicious effects of estrogen like a decrease in muscle and strength and an increase of body fat, it increases your level of testosterone, which translates into an increase in strength and muscle.