Resveratrol pills are all the RAGE today and a New Jersey based group of Cardiologists wants to lead the way for both consumers and patients to learn more about them, and in fact, they may be the first U.S. cardiologists to do so.

With the rising inquiries about their heart healthy properties, this local cardiology group says it will soon begin to study the pills’ effects on their patients with heart problems and suggests that consumers consult with knowledgeable doctors before going into unguided self use of medicines.

Cardiologist Jacqueline Hollywood M.D. from the Advanced Cardiology Institute in FT. Lee, New Jersey says that so many patients are hearing about the promises of these red wine pills that their group decided to study their patients rather than leave them to self experimentation.

Human studies are largely derived from users of red wine and not supplement consumers, as she states, so there really is a need for studies. She is also confident that these resveratrol pills are much safer than their alcoholic counterpart.

Nate Lebowitz, M.D., also a cardiologist from the same institute as Dr. Hollywood, states that the goal is to find out if red wine pills can actually mimic the French paradox; the fact that red wine drinking adults in France who have a very high fat and calorie diet intake experience a much lower mortality rate from heart disease than North Americans.

Dr. Lebowitz says “We will cautiously begin some studies, to measure markers, like inflammation, cholesterol, blood clotting and maybe even imaging of coronary or carotid arteries, to see if these pills live up to their promise.”

Forward Thinkers

Doctor Howard Rothman, M.D., a senior cardiologist at the Advanced Cardiology Institute says that their group of cardiologists has offered tests and therapies based on credible scientific publications long before these interventions were fully tested with outcome studies and even before they were more widely accepted. Patients want to be assured that the doctors are forward thinkers, not waiting for a decade for a simple consensus. The need for preventive care and medical strategies is high, before they can develop vascular problems; as Dr. Rothman clearly puts it.

The idea of providing the heart healthy molecules found in red wine without the accompanying alcohol, sugars and calories, seems sound, but is limited to how far the studies are done in terms of effectiveness.

Patients from the Advanced Cardiology Institute who require these resveratrol pills have made cardiologists select a supplement that had been used in previous studies or previously tested in humans and animals. There may be poorly made brands or improper dosages, and doctors just want to make sure that their patients are taking a product that has the best chance of working and would not produce avoidable side effects; states Dr. Rothman.

It also comes with a caution that the molecules in red wine, like resveratrol and quercetin, may interfere with prescription medications and is advisable that people not take it simultaneously. Side effects, while few, mild, and reversible, are possible such as fatigue, headaches, dizziness and sore Achilles tendons.

Red wine pills have resveratrol, a molecule known to produce positive effects in animal studies. Resveratrol inhibits blood clots, alters cholesterol and reduces inflammation.

Resveratrol Molecules and Heart Preconditioning

Resveratrol has been shown to produce, what is known as a preconditioning effect for the heart, in animals. A protective enzyme called heme-oxygenase is produced both rapidly and normally following a heart attack to limit the damage to the heart muscle tissue caused by the release of iron. In animal studies, the resveratrol molecule triggers the production of these enzymes prior to a heart attack, thereby limiting the damage in an event.

The preconditioning effect may only be achieved with proper dosage of resveratrol. A little amount would generate no benefit and too much would worsen the damage caused by a heart attack.

Gene Activation

Resveratrol products are wildly popular, as it is now a potential longevity , anti aging supplement. Resveratrol molecules and other molecules found in red wine can enter living cells and influence genetic machinery. The Sirtuin1 gene, or known as a survival gene, is activated by resveratrol and is a widely studied gene pathway. The current trend is to develop pills which will mimic these effects of calorie restricted diets, which will double the lifespan of all living entities.

Doctors from the Advanced Cardiology Institute chose to disperse the resveratrol pills directly to patients for better monitor of compliance and usage, with the idea that patients return to the office every four months for a re-examination.

Dr. Hollywood’s final words dictate that these pills may be a boon to cardiology if they do to humans what they have done to animals and among red wine drinkers in France.