Sometime ago scientists were putting two and two together, and realized that French people, despite their extremely high intake of fat and carbs were living twice as long as Americans. And they did not suffer from heart disease the way we did even though they constantly consumed high fat; the scientists quickly realized that the difference was a large amount of red wine. French people are known for drinking a glass of wine once, twice, sometimes three a day, and this is what was making the difference. Recently, a researcher realized that the chemical in red wine known as Reseveratrol had a huge impact on the aging gene, pro-longing the aging process, initiating weight loss, and getting rid of fatigue, as well as decreasing the risks of heart disease and certain cancers… Basically, restoring the body to its youthful self.

So, does Reseveratrol work??

Well, Reseveratrol is currently in clinical studies, or trials, to be released as an FDA approved drug to actually prolong life and prevent diseases. I will quote one of the scientists that discovered this break through. With Reseveratrol…

“People will live active healthy lives, and then die quietly in their sleep, that’s really the aim here with these medicines”

While Vital-RezV’s active ingredient is Reseveratrol, the drug that is being tested and has shown positive effects as a treatment of diabetes, and postpones the aging process, is being tested at much higher concentrations than what you are getting with the anti-aging supplement. Still, this completely natural chemical at any dosage seems to have some sort of positive effects on the body, you may not be able to treat diseases with this supplement but I truly believe it will help prevent certain diseases and support a healthy life style. After all the supplement is still a much higher concentration than what is contained in Red Wine.

Even though Reseveratrol is still in the clinical trial phase, the results that are being presented and printed are extremely exciting!! As 60 minutes reported the two scientists that discovered this amazing break through opened a tiny little start up company, and the results were so amazing that the small little lab was recently bought by pharmaceutical giant Glaxo Smith Kline for 3 quarters of a BILLION dollars. I would definitely say there are some high expectations for this drug!!

So, what are these anti-aging treatments and how do they help me look and feel younger?

The goal is to fight aging at all levels possible, internally and externally. Many people make the mistake of only fighting it at the surface level, and while that is a great approach for the appearance of your skin, it is not getting the root cause. On the other hand taking an anti-aging supplement to help fight aging at an internal level, to prevent or postpone the process completely, works wonders for the body but does little for the skin. Fact is the body needs help at both of these levels, and the treatments respond so much better when taken in conjunction with each other. Making sure to meticulously care for the skin has always, and will always, be a very important part of the anti-aging process. But, when you combine this meticulous care with a supplement that helps the body make these essential skin proteins (collagen and elastin), as well as promote internal harmony within your body, the results are simply outstanding.

There is a catch however. Taking an anti-aging supplement is a great way to prevent the time clock from ticking away, once the clock has spun through several neglected cycles an anti-aging supplement is not as effective. While many of these supplements claim to be able to turn back the clock, I highly doubt that they can turn it back very far. I am not saying they can’t reverse some of the signs of aging, but the only complete reversal is surgery. However, beginning an anti-aging supplement combined with a skin treatment regimen is a great way to prevent further damage, and possibly repair some of the damage that has already occurred. If you have a substantial amount of damage your best bet may be some cosmetic procedures, or some of the higher priced creams and filler products.

Right now believe it or not the number one anti-aging beauty secret taking the world by storm and selling like umbrellas on a rainy day is… a stretch mark cream! Yes, I said a stretch mark cream. The ingredients in an effective stretch mark cream make it a great anti-aging/age reversal product. Stretch marks are deep v shaped trenches in the dermal layer of tissue; in order to reduce the appearance of these stretch marks the product must be able to fill these “trenches” with collagen. Wrinkles are child’s play in comparison to stretch marks so this cream, Srtivectin SD, easily fills the lines and wrinkles with collagen just as it would the deep stretch marks. This cream has actually been coined “topical botox” because of its effectiveness. However, be prepared to pay for this miracle in a tube; Strivectin SD typically runs $135.00 for a 6oz tube, but you know what they say you get what you pay for!

The Blood Countess, Erzabet Bathory of Hungary had one part of her nasty scheme right, to prevent wrinkles you must treat the problem inside and out. However, preferably you would do so with creams and supplements not the blood of virgins!! A wrinkle can be caused by several different things, but he majority of the problem, researchers have noted, are what are called free radicals. When the body ages it loses certain abilities, more specifically the ability to produce enough anti-oxidants and collagen, and this is why we have wrinkles when we are old and not when we are young. Our young, vibrant bodies are able to produce, fight off, and maintain a perfect harmony. The mere act of aging is what changes this, some say it is because of the stress in adulthood while others claim our body simply uses up its supply, what ever the cause it can be helped.

Let’s approach the two separate ways to treat wrinkles/aging. On the surface a wrinkle is the result of decreased amounts of collagen and elastin in the skin, and or the exposure to external free radicals. Yes, the aging body does have a lot to do with the development of wrinkles, however don’t think that you have nothing to do with it either. Exposing your skin to a variety of external free radicals such as smoke, pollutants, and UV rays is a HUGE cause of premature wrinkling. Paired with the decreased amounts of collagen and elastin, the body has nothing to fight these free radicals with thus resulting in the damage/wrinkles. A perfect example is a woman who smokes cigarettes; the development of wrinkles around her mouth and eyes are tremendously worse than that of a non-smoker due to the damage inflicted on her skin from the cigarette.

Pollution is another big cause of wrinkles it damages the skin in basically the same way as smoke, except via small chemical particles. By far the biggest and most common cause of wrinkled dried out skin is over exposure to the sun. Don’t get me wrong the sun provides our body with essential nutrients and vitamins both directly and indirectly. However, over baking in the actual sun OR a tanning booth is a great way to look older than your grandmother. UV rays have a very distinct way of turn the skin to…for lack of a better word, leather! And yes even tanning it up while you are young will have a negative impact on your skin later in life, and by later I mean your late twenties.

This change in the skin and body starts to happen way before most people think, we start losing the ability to produce enough anti-oxidants to kill these free radicals by our early thirties, and our skin changes way before that! Some researchers have suggested that we start losing the suppleness of our youthful smooth skin by adolescence. This means that prevention needs to start young by avoiding known causes of aging and taking great care of yourself and skin. Anti-aging supplements are a great addition to anyone’s daily routine, however when taken before the damage has occurred will benefit you the most as the point is prevention. Also, be sure to be dedicated to a good skin care routine cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, and above all sun blocking! It is possible to hold off the inevitable, but until the actual fountain of youth is discovered we will all develop wrinkles at some point in our lifetime, if we live long enough!

[photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaybee/ ]

Having done an extensive amount of research myself on these anti-aging supplements, I can tell you that they do in fact have the potential to slow the normal aging process. But more importantly they can help keep you healthier longer! However, let me also be the first to say that just like with many other products and formulas, not all of them are effective, you have to be careful what you buy. When the news hit that herbs and supplements had the potential to delay the aging process, every single supplement company rushed to create their own specific anti-aging formula, and sadly many of them are basically just a spin on your daily multivitamin.

To completely understand what it is that an anti-aging supplement does, you must first understand the normal aging process. When we age our bodies lose the ability to create certain chemicals and this in turn creates an imbalance of hormones. Imbalanced hormones can create a plethora of problems from weight gain, to certain cancers and other diseases. Also, everyone knows that free radicals are the cause of aging, when we are young our bodies have an abundant supply of antioxidants, these anti-oxidants are what destroy the nasty little free radicals. As we age this abundant supply of anti-oxidants is depleted and we are left with nothing to stop these free radicals from destroying our young healthy cells. Since the body cannot replenish its supply of anti-oxidants on its own, or through diet, it is imperative we supplement.

An effective anti-aging supplement would definitely be chalked full of anti-oxidants, as well as a supplement that promotes the production of collagen and healthy skin to reduce the amount of, or prevent wrinkles. Many even contain herbs to balance hormones and promote a youthful hormonal balance. In order to be effective an anti-aging supplement should contain at least two, if not all three, of these ingredients. As far as calling an anti-aging supplement the elixir of youth…Ummm, I think not, but a good compromise! Anti-aging supplements are a great way to keep your self looking and feeling young well into your golden years, as well as keeping those nasty midlife diseases at bay.

You should keep in mind however that anti-aging supplements are good at controlling the internal causes of aging; you still have to be mindful of the external causes. In other words you must still avoid air borne free radicals that damage skin such as smoke, pollution, and SUN DAMAGE. Above all take care of your skin and moisturize your skin often, like I said anti-aging supplements are a good compromise, not a miracle!