What if you could take a pill that reversed aging? Well, David Sinclair, a biologist and Harvard genetics professor, had high hopes when he discovered resveratrol, a molecule found in grapes could help reverse the effects of aging like inflammation and cell growth. He claimed one day there would be a pill people could take that would solve all of our aging problems. The media had a field day with his findings and soon resveratrol made its way into wellness as the new fad food. Better yet, you could find resveratrol in wine! But what happens when research studies go wrong? When the findings aren't always what they seem? The story of resveratrol is a great example of trusting the data too soon, before it's replicated over and over by other scientist. Today's story is about one scientist who got too ahead of himself which led to criticism and conflicts of interest.....all in the name of aging and fame.

Resources:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-HEB-3860

Gupta SC, Kunnumakkara AB, Aggarwal S, Aggarwal BB. Inflammation, a Double-Edge Sword for Cancer and Other Age-Related Diseases. Front Immunol. 2018;9:2160. Published 2018 Sep 27. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2018.02160

Brenjian S, Moini A, Yamini N, et al. Resveratrol treatment in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome decreased pro-inflammatory and endoplasmic reticulum stress markers. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2020;83(1):e13186. doi:10.1111/aji.13186

Martins L.A.M., Coelho B.P., Behr G., Pettenuzzo L.F., Souza I.C.C., Moreira J.C.F., Borojevic R., Gottfried C., Guma F.C.R. Resveratrol induces pro-oxidant effects and time-dependent resistance to cytotoxicity in activated hepatic stellate cells. Cell Biochem. Biophys. 2014;68:247–257. doi: 10.1007/s12013-013-9703-8.

Salehi B, Mishra AP, Nigam M, et al. Resveratrol: A Double-Edged Sword in Health Benefits. Biomedicines. 2018;6(3):91. Published 2018 Sep 9. doi:10.3390/biomedicines6030091